The governor of Bauchi state and presidential aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bala Mohammed, has warned that even though the All Progressives Congress (APC) is going into self obliteration, it shouldn’t be taken for granted.
Bala who is a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) said this in Abuja on Wednesday when he held a consultative meeting with the forum of former ministers.
He explained that the consensus move was about getting the best that will rescue and rebuild the country.
He promised that if elected as President his administration would be knowledge driven.
He said: “As I said, this country is passing through a moment that we have to really pause and do a lot. We need ourselves. We need this forum. We need all the resource persons in this country.
“APC has destroyed everything, they are moving towards a self annihilation. You can see them copying us even our convention. The way we did our zoning and transfers, even now the consensus they are beginning to read the idea and I want to say we should not take them for granted.
“They have destroyed the economy. They have destroyed the country. They are more afraid of accountability than us. All of us stood our ground and faced them in the court or in EFCC and we are daring them to do whatever they can do to persecute us, if they have any evidence against us but they cannot afford that.
“The nation is no longer there as we left it. The nation is in pieces. There are names, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Itsekiri anything within the context of Nigeria, but Nigeria is no longer there under APC. Thay have destroyed everything. Our focus on making Nigeria first should be started here because this is where you have people with the knowledge, with the modesty and understanding of the country.”
On consensus, Bala Mohammed said: “We’re not doing a regional thing. You know where I’m coming from. I spoke for the South, at the time, nobody could speak about it and that is what brought me here. I cannot be a regionalist or a sectional person.
“So we have agreed now within ourselves for consensus, but this is even going beyond us. We have reached out to all the aspirants and the governors in this house because it’s about getting the best, it is about demphasising zoning, sectional sectionalism and so on and so forth.”
Bala who also met with National Working committee of the PDP at Wadata Plaza said he has all the experience needed to rescue Nigeria.
“As somebody who traverse all the constituencies of the public service, the civil service, the National Assembly. And indeed, the media, with all these experiences we have built bridges. I’m a team player. I can only lead and Nigeria needs leadership,” he said.
In his brief remarks, the PDP National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, assured that the party’s presidential primary slated for May 28 and 29 will be free, fair and credible.
He continued, “I want to assure you that the party primary will be free, fair and credible. The ordinary members of our party will decide who the PDP 2023 Presidential election will be.
“We will do everything possible to make sure that our primary at all level will be completely transparent as we have always done.
“I want Nigeria to know that PDP is back to it’s winning and by next year we shall form the next government.”
Ayu also expressed hope that the 17 presidential aspirants jostling for the PDP’s ticket will accept the outcome of the primary.
In a related development, Former Senate President, Pius Anyim, has warned the leadership of the PDP not to jettison zoning the 2023 Presidential ticket.
Anyim who stated this shortly after submitting his expression of interest and nomination forms at the party secretariat, Abuja, Wednesday, appealed to the PDP leadership to defend section 7 (3) (c) of its constitution.
