Victor EzejaAhead of 2023, notable politicians have started declaring interest in running for presidency, but former Anambra State governor, Mr Peter Obi has said his joining the race will be determined by the decision of his party on which part of the country the candidate should come from.
Obi who was the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) vice-presidential candidate in the 2019 elections said he will wait for the decision of the party before throwing his hat in the ring for the presidential contest, as according to him, the party always zone the slot to a particular region of the country based on their consideration of political dynamics of the time and principle of rotation.
The former governor bared his mind on the presidential race in an interview with Njenje Media.
“All the elections that I followed in the past, the party that I belong to today, the PDP made a pronunciation and took a stand. At least in 2019 when I was involved, where I can say Atiku graciously chose me as his running mate which I remain eternally grateful to him for, the party decided that the candidate should come from the North and that was what the party decided. And I believe that the party owes it a duty to say what their stand is. If there stand today is South, be rest assured I am aspiring, if they say North, I can’t do otherwise or they chose the option that everybody is free, then, of course, you will be hearing from me,” Obi said.
The former Governor while affirming his commitment to building a better Nigeria, advised all and sundry to choose a candidate who is competent and most importantly has integrity.
“What we are looking for in this country today are people of integrity, people of conscience, people who are less greedy. Educational qualification is not a measure of integrity; it doesn’t guarantee that somebody is less greedy or that people have conscience.”
He further said, “I have seen people here acquire what they don’t need. I saw it while I was serving, to fight corruption here, you need somebody who has integrity, who is not greedy, who has conscience if you have that, fighting corruption is easy, because, if you who is in charge is not stealing, you will reduce stealing by 50 to 70 per cent. It is critical that you have somebody who is like that. It is not when people are acquiring lands, houses, everything they don’t need; they want to live a lifestyle that is far beyond the economy of Nigeria, far beyond their earnings, that is why the place is collapsing. That is why we have insecurity, that is why we have poverty. We need to manage the costs efficiently and these are the critical areas as you people know as you look for people who will govern the country in the future.”
There are indications that the presidential candidate of PDP in 2019, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who chose Obi as his running, may have picked Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Woke as his running mate for the 2023 polls.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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