A presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party and former governor of Anambra State, Dr Peter Obi has declared that a consensus candidate was not the solution to the country’s myriad of problems.
Obi also asked Nigerians not to allow the All Progressives Congress to continue in office after 2023 noting they’ve drawn the country backwards.
He spoke at a meeting with chieftains of the PDP in Akure, the Ondo State, ahead of the forthcoming primary of the party.
The Presidential aspirant said the consensus arrangement clamoured for by some aspirants was not what Nigeria needs at the present time.
” What the country needs at this particular period is somebody who can turn around the economy of the country and not a consensus candidate
“The country needs someone that would work to rescue the country to get out of its challenges, as the next president.
“We are not talking of who will be the next President of the country but who will start working for this country called Nigeria. Nigerians did not need a consensus candidate but a problem solver that can fix Nigeria.
“Nigerians are looking forward to having somebody capable of making the nation productive and pulling the country out of poverty”
“The children can no longer eat, we are at a high level of misery, we can not allow them to continue.
“If nothing is done on Nigeria’s problem, it would consume all of us. It will consume our children too.
“We must not talk about consensus now, we must talk about who will work. Nigerians want a consensus that will solve the Nigerian problem.
“We want someone that will take Nigeria from consumption to production level.
” We must elect somebody that can do the work. We are not talking about who will become the next president of Nigeria but who will start working for this country called Nigeria.”
Lamenting the spates of killings, kidnappings, banditry and level of poverty in the country, Obi said Nigerians are suffering and needed an urgent solution to save the situation.
“Nigeria is its darkest days. The country is collapsing and the only thing we are hearing is kidnapping, banditry poverty. Schools are shut down, killings are everywhere and this is the cumulative effect of the bad leadership.
“Our economy has crumbled and we keep borrowing without investing. Borrowing for consumption without investing a dime. Our debt is growing and nothing to show for it.
“Look at our roads, the Akure /Ekiti road is there and they claimed they are borrowing for infrastructure.
“With just N5b, the road will be fixed, but all this money they are borrowing is for consumption. The only thing you hear is sharing formula not production formula
“The first of our problems is the economy, the second is the economy and the third is the economy. Anybody who can get the economy of Nigeria right is the right person for the present job and all we need is the best and right person for now”
Obi, however, said PDP is blessed with men who can work and change the fortune of the country and rescue the country from its present situation.
“PDP has an array of candidates who are qualified and competent and everything. We have arrays of stars contesting on the PDP platform. They will perform more outstandingly than Buhari and any of the APC candidates.
“People will give you money, take it, but when you want to vote think of the future of your children.
“Now is the time to take the step, if we don’t take the step now, it will consume all of us”
In his remarks, former governor of the state, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, said the PDP was lucky to have competent, credible people as aspirants to contest for the post of president.
In their separate remarks, the state PDP Chairman, Fatai Adams and the party’s governorship aspirant in the state, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), commended the presidential aspirant for coming to identify with the delegates and stakeholders of the party.
They stressed that his performance during his tenure as governor of Anambra speaks volumes of his pedigree.
