2023: Battle for APC ticket hots up as Umahi joins Presidential race

SUNDAY ODE, OBIORA IFOH, Abuja and CLEMENT NNACHI, Abakaliki

 

Barely 24 hours after former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, declared his ambition to contest the 2023 Presidential ticket of All Progressive Congress (APC), Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State has met with President Muhammadu Buhari to inform him of his ambition.

Umahi who emerged from the presidential villa, Abuja, on Tuesday, confirmed to newsmen that he discussed the issue with the president .

According to him, “Buhari told him to go and seek the support of the people”

The Ebonyi governor opened up on his long rumoured presidential ambition when asked by newsmen whether his visit was to inform President Buhari of his presidential bid.

He said: “Well, generally, yes and no. We discussed politics as the growth of our party, APC, in Nigeria, and South East. And, of course, you know, the interest of South East, for the seat of presidency in 2023.

“And, of course, I told Mr. President, that without prejudice to whatever will be the decision of the party, which we shall abide by, that if the party throws the ticket open or zone it to southern part of Nigeria, that I believe that with what I have put in place in the past six years plus, that I’ll be running for presidency, on the platform of APC.

“So I told him and of course, he believes that whoever wants to run for president of this country must have to consult widely, go to all the leaders and that we must do everything to remove ethnicity and religion in our politics. So that this country can grow.”

Reminded that he left the opposition PDP due to its failure to zone the presidential ticket to the South East, and what he considered as his chances to clinch the APC ticket when the likes of former Lagos Governor, Ahmed Bola Tinubu had declared to contest, the Ebony governor said:

“The Bible that I swore with in 1 Samuel says that by his strength shall no man prevail, and power and might belongs to God. He chooses whomever he wills and he will do that in 2023. I’m not in contest with anybody I’m in contest with myself.”

On the extent of his consultations with stakeholders across the country over his ambition, the governor explained that he would not have done that without first meeting with the President to inform him.

His words: “I wouldn’t have done that without first coming to clear with Mr. President that there is this feelings in South East that have not been president and that people feel that those of our leaders in the various political parties should indicate interest to contest.

“And this is fair, this is important. But at the end of the day, it is God Almighty and the political parties that will also decide.”

Ask specifically whether he had consulted with the Pan Igbo Socio cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo on his ambition and if he had received their endorsement, he said:

“Ohanaeze leadership should not play politics. Yes, they can speak for the interest of the South East, they can speak for fair treatment to South East as people.

“But as a matter of equity, justice and fairness, and leaving a level playing field for all the political parties and the aspirants, they should not dabble into politics on whom to support or whom not to support.
“I think that they hear it just like they heard other political parties aspirants. We will also write them to notify them that yes, they have capable sons and daughters that if God wills, that could do this job.”

The governor also canvassed what he called political solution to the raging insecurity in the South East, saying that without prejudice to the ongoing juidical process, President Buhari should reconsider his stand on the trial of the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.

“Let me also add that as the Chairman of South East Governors’ Forum, that I support a political solution to our insecurity problems in South East. And of course, I mentioned it to Mr. President.

“You see, political solution does not terminate the judicial process. And if you know, Mr. President, very well, he has always said, and has always demonstrated that he wouldn’t interfere with any judiciary process, everybody knows him for that.

“But you remember very well, that if agreement is reached between parties, you don’t expect Mr. President to be the negotiator, there are a lot of federal, government officials.

“And so I believe strongly that as South East is proposing for political solution, they should be able to engage the federal government. After all, there’s always what is called out of court settlement, but it is for our people, and, our brother Kanu to be willing for us to truly engage so that we can find true peace in our region.
“Because, the activities these people have destroyed, a lot of the economy of Southeast, a lot of lives have been lost. And when we were shouting it that it wasn’t going to benefit, because agitation shouldn’t have gone the way it did.

“Today, the matter has gone beyond them. You know, every criminal, kidnapper, armed robber tend to claim IPOB and IPOB in turn is fighting them. But I think, is late. So we desire peace, we desire to save the lives of our people. And so we are willing to engage, to see that we have, you know, an amicable settlement. And you know, rebuild the economy of South East.”

Besides his political ambition, the governor said he had invited President Buhari to visit his state for commissioning of some landmark projects executed by his administration.

On the statement credited to his Plateau State counterpart to the effect that APC governors were to have met last Sunday to take a decision on the date for the party’s national convention, Umahi said:

“I’m not Mr. President who must have the final say on the date for convention. And I don’t believe that the governor you mentioned should have spoken for the party. Because if it is APC governors forum, we have a leader, the chairman who is the His Excellency, the governor of Kebbi State.

“He wasn’t even aware of the meeting when I called him. And if it is the party administration, we have His Excellency, the governor of Yobe state. And I think these two would have been able to speak to the press, if we’re going to have such a meeting on Sunday. So I was not aware but I had to inquire from the chairman of APC Governors Forum who wasn’t also aware. So I’m not sure the meeting held.

“But I read on a newspaper sometimes when the party leadership came to brief Mr. President, and they told him February convention. Mr. President said yes. He is not a man that says yes and says no, at the same time, he is a man of integrity, he is a man of his words.

“So I believe that if he ever said February that is going to stick to that February. I am very sure of that but it is for him to speak or for the party leadership to speak. I speak for my state.”

Meanwhile, with the declaration of presidential aspiration by the former governor of Lagos State Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi, a pro-Osinbajo group, Progressive Consolidation Group (PCG) has said their ambition cannot douse the patriotic zeal of those championing the cause of an Osinbajo presidency in 2023.

According to Chairman of PCG, Dr. Aliyu Kurfi, plurality of candidates and political parties are necessary for a robust democracy and a rich array of strong contenders will only deepen the legitimacy of Osinbajo’s eventual victory.

“As genuine democrats who believe in the progressive ideals that Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo stands for, we welcome others into the race because we strongly believe that a plurality of candidates and political parties only enhances the robustness of our democracy.

“As I once stated, every well-informed Nigerian knows that PCG is the very first 2023 support group to be formally recognised by our progressive party, APC, and we have never sought to prevent or discourage others from following in our footsteps because Vice-President Osinbajo will not subscribe to dirty political games that some typically desperate politicians play.

“We are mobilising for Prof Yemi Osinbajo, a man who believes in the rule of law, a man who is a democrat and a great progressive too; nothing in his antecedents ever speaks of anti-democratic standards.

“Therefore, we do not only welcome the declaration by an aspirant; in fact, we anticipate having half a dozen more, so that Osinbajo would emerge from a very rich array of choices offered to the nation by the APC.

“The nature of the political competition that we envisage shall be one characterised by politics without bitterness; to this end, all members of pro-Osinbajo groups have been instructed to address other aspirants with courtesy and avoid getting drawn into the usual mudslinging that characterised Nigerian politics.

“As to the chances of success, we are very confident that Osinbajo will enter and win the race by virtue of all his good qualities and citizens’ expectations to see him build on the foundation laid by President Muhammadu Buhari,” Dr. Kurfi stated.

Similarly, the Organized Private Sector for Osinbajo (OPS 4 Osinbajo) has insisted that the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is far better intellectually equipped than any current presidential aspirant for the task of leading Nigeria’s economic rejuvenation towards future greatness, has said.

The group’s spokesman, Alhaji Abdulrahman Farouk who stated this in Abuja in Tuesday in a statement said,
“With Osinbajo, Nigeria’s organized private sector has much basis for optimism about post-2023 economic activities.”

Emphasising that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s consistent focus and insider knowledge of the objectives and challenges related to the Buhari administration’s economic programmes are great advantages towards Nigeria’s economic rejuvenation, he stated that Osinbajo’s candidature offers much hope for citizens who have high expectations about job creation, increased earnings and growth.

“Even though an aspirant has informed Muhammadu Buhari about his 2023 ambition, the most credible option still appears to be Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and for the Organized Private Sector as well as the citizenry, Osinbajo offers much fertile ground for hope to rapidly germinate.”

The group stressed that rather than mere sentiments, Nigerians must carefully weigh the past and current potentials of various candidates towards using their voter’s card responsibly in the 2023 election.

“Getting Nigeria’s economy to grow faster than the population is going to take a lot of consistent planning, discipline and integrity, as well as great consistency in implementation but with his sharp focus, Professor Yemi Osinbajo is expected to do well,” he stated.

According to Alhaji Abdulrahman Farouk, economic reforms and fair incentives needed to generate rapid economic multiplier effects that can accelerate employment generation, increased export earnings and other economic dividends for Nigeria appear better assured when someone like Professor Yemi Osinbajo is in power.

“The idealistic and very patriotic pursuit of various economic policies led by Osinbajo speak volumes about future potentials for people-focused policies; under his supervision, Nigeria’s social investment programmes have been ranked internationally but much more good news should unfold when he is fully in the saddle by 2023,” he added.

Similarly, former Abia State Governor and Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has said he will be ready to contest the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential ticket with former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu if the party zones the position to the South.

Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, Kalu said while he had nothing against the aspiration of Tinubu, he believed that the Southeast was ripe for the Presidency and that it should be the turn of the zone to produce the next President.

He said he should be the one to step in the saddle to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

Kalu said he had all that “it takes to match Tinubu grit for grit and campaign for campaign if need be for the APC ticket in 2023.”

Tinubu had on Monday informed President Buhari at a meeting in Aso Rock Presidential Villa that he had thrown his hat in the ring for the 2023 presidential race.

Tinubu had last November visited Kalu in his Villa mansion where he intimated the federal lawmaker about his presidential ambition.

But these shuttle diplomatic visits have not in any way precluded South East agitation for the 2023 presidency.

Kalu is one of the few APC gladiators from the Southeast zone expected to take a shot at the APC ticket preparatory to the 2023 presidential contest.

 

 

For a better society