Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State on Thursday began political consultations ahead of his presidential ambition with a closed door meeting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital.
Although, there had been tips from various interested parties within and outside the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), including Governor Nyesom Wike towards Governor Mohammed’s presidential ambition in 2023 as politicking is getting thicker day-by-day, Governor Mohammed has just publicly spoken on his presidential ambition, having met with Obasanjo in Abeokuta.
Speaking after he had met with Obasanjo for about one hour, Mohammed declared that he had come to consult with Obasanjo as a father, political benefactor with a view to vying for Nigeria’s president in 2023 on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), but he noted that his aspiration could still be sacrificed on the altar of merit for Nigeria to be better off.
“I am here for two or three reasons. First is to come and fraternise and greet the leader of the nation. Since I became a governor, I have never visited him and you know he is one of those that were instrumental to my career, development as a federal civil servant, up to the point I became a senator and we have a very wonderful relationship with the family.
“He has always taken me as a father, and again to discuss some of my personal aspirations with him because I cannot do anything without telling him because he is so important to each and every one of us.
“Again what we are trying to do in our party, we know he is not partisan, you know he is an elder statesman per excellence, but we are rebuilding our party to remove rancour, division and what have you?
“We still need him and his words of wisdom are always very, very instrumental and useful; so, I came and sought his opinion on some of the things we want to do in the party to close ranks and provide Nigerians the opportunity to rescue Nigeria from the present division and rancour we have found ourselves,” he said.
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The governor further said that he was very optimistic.
“To me, presidency is a consensus, a stake-holding and statemanship is responsibility.
“Of course, every Nigerian should try if he can, to contribute his or her quota to the growth and development of the nation, especially now when leadership recruitment should be based on merit, should be based on making sure that we bring everybody on board to reduce the spate or manifestation of separatism, feeling of disillusion and disgruntlement, feelings that are capable of dividing us further,” he said.
According to him, “Nigeria is too large and too important to be ignored, some of us have benefited so much. It is not about me or my aspiration, it’s about the country.”
Mohammed however, declared that all the main political parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would zone its presidency to either South or North, but with much consideration on merit and the people’s choice.
“Well, each party is trying to strategise to plan to make sure that if they zone their candidate to South, it is open to us to see whether if we zone to the South, it will give us more electoral victory or if we put it in the North it will give us more electoral victory, certainly that is the kind of thing we are doing.
“The leg work, the permutations so that, at least, whatever we are going to do, it will make sure we provide Nigerians the opportunity to choose in-between the best alternatives,” he further said.
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