Former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has said the quest by some presidential aspirants in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to form a united force is for the party to take over power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.
Dr Saraki said this informed their decision to advocate for a consensus candidate among the aspirants.
The presidential hopeful spoke on Monday while briefing journalists after a closed-door meeting alongside his co-aspirants. Those present are; Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Senator Bala Mohammed, Governor of Bauchi State, with Governor Douye Diri in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
According to him, the interest of Nigeria superseded their individual ambitions and that was why they embarked on the mission to consult the Bayelsa State governor and other critical stakeholders on how to reach a consensus on the flagbearer of the party.
Describing the PDP as the only hope to rebuild and reposition the country, the former Senate President noted that Nigeria was in bad shape and needed to be salvaged
Saraki stated: “We are here to intimate the governor on our efforts to have a consensus candidate. As you all know, three of us have indicated interest to run on the platform of the PDP. We have been going around talking to the leaders of our party”.
He said that the country was in great danger and it is only the PDP that can save it but that the party must be united.
“We all have individual ambitions but what we have come to accept and believe in is that the interest of Nigeria is far bigger than individual interests. That is why in the last three weeks we have been moving around the country, letting our leaders know that a consensus approach should be used to pick any of us.” he said.
He, therefore, appealed to Nigerians that the PDP was feeling their pains and hardship and things would soon change.
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In his remarks, the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, urged the PDP to forge a united front if the party wanted to win the forthcoming election.
Diri insisted that the party must not be factionalised as a result of individual ambitions but rather come together to pursue the common purpose of winning the 2023 presidential election The Trumpet gathered.
His words: “There is no other way than unity of purpose of the PDP. We must realise that we are an opposition party. We are not a party in power and cannot afford to be factionalised and fractionalised due to individual ambition.”
