2023 Election: PDP North Central adopts Former Senate President as consensus candidate
Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, has said that the party’s leadership in the north-central zone of the country has adopted Former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki as the Consensus Candidate of the party ahead of the presidential elections in 2023.
He said that the adoption became necessary because of the track records of Dr Saraki since he joined politics.
Baraje spoke at the North central PDP Stakeholders forum in Ilorin, Kwara state capital, on Thursday night, where the PDP leaders in the state joined other north-central states to adopt Dr Saraki as the sole candidate of the party.
Other members of the PDP stakeholders committee in the North central are former governor of the state, Alhaji Muhammed Shaaba Lafiagi, a member of PDP Board of Trustees, Alhaji Ishola Balogun Fulani, Mrs Minna from Benue, Mr Yonana from Nasarawa, Mr Victor Golo from Jos, Plateau state and
Secretary of the committee, Hon. AbdulRahman Badamas from Kogi state.
Baraje extolled Saraki’s political acumen, particularly during his tenure as the Senate President when he survived the travails when everyone thought he would not complete his term.
He said, “the north-central zone have paid their dues in the political development of the nation, and it is now our turn to produce the nation’s Presidency.
“The era of shortchanging the people of north-central in the political calculations of the country is now over, and the people of the zone have resolved to support Dr Bukola Saraki to be their sole candidate for the next elections.
“For many years now, north-central have been used by other zones of the country especially north-west and northeast, such that at the end of the day they used to give north-central crumbs, such era is over.
“The north-central have worked together now as a united front and set a plan to work as a team, and this has necessitated the adoption of former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki as their sole candidate from the zone because there is no other person that is against the plan.
“We resolved from the zone to support Dr Saraki to have a good standing in the political calculations of 2023, and by the grace of God, the party’s goal will be achieved.”
Baraje, who added that the stakeholders of the party in the north-central had visited other states of Niger, Benue, Kogi, Plateau, stated that “Today is the turn of Kwara state and we are here to seek your support for our candidate for the nation’s Presidency come 2023 in the person of Dr Bukola Saraki because other states in the zone have adopted him as their presidential candidate.
“Other stakeholders of the party in the zone have also travelled to other parts of the nation to seek the support of other zones, and the report was favourable because Dr Bukola Saraki cut across all the parts of the country.”
He noted further that, “Our adopted presidential candidate possess a lot of good track of records since he joined politics which cut across his leadership zeal as governor of Kwara State, as a presidential Aide to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and as a member of the Senate and as a former Senate President of Nigeria.”
Baraje told the PDP leaders in the state that “the presidential ambition of Dr Bukola Saraki is a done deal, and we must all join the trail in the bid to reset, rebuild and grow Nigeria together come 2023”.
Earlier, the state chairman of the PDP, Rt. Hon. Muhammed Babatunde said that the leaders and members of the party are solidly behind the presidential ambition of our leader, Dr Bukola Saraki, and we will leave no stone unturned to work day and night to realise the dream.
Babatunde also used the occasion to say that the party will win the 2023 general elections, given the abysmal performances of the present government in the state.
He urged the party members to move into wards and local government councils to spread the hopes to assist the party in winning the next elections in the state and at the national level.
A Chieftain of the party on the Dr Bukola Saraki presidential team From Hon Victor Golo, in his remark, said that the presidential aspirant is not an ordinary human being, saying that he has been tested and trusted for leadership,” the North East hasn’t been fair to north-central, so we have jointly agreed in the North central to support him for Presidency.”
For Kwara state to officially join the fray in the north-central zone of adopting Dr Bukola Saraki as the sole candidate, Former Commissioner for health and a chieftain of the party Hon
Sulyman Atolagbe Alege moved a motion for the adoption. Mrs Ikeoluwa Orunmuyi Rtd Permsec from Moro local government, without dissenting from the mammoth crowd.
Suzan O./NAN
