Presidential aspirants intensify lobby for delegates’ votes

•Ehusani Backs Power Shift To S’East
•Nigeria Needs Economic Diversification to Grow, Says Lawan
•Tambuwal Sets Agenda For Next President

As the deadline for the conduct of party primaries inch closer, presidential aspirants across political parties and putting finishing touches to their first phase of campaigns by intensifying lobby for the delegates’ votes.

Peter Obi Support Groups in Nigerian and in the Diaspora, under the umbrella of Coalition for Peter Obi (CPO), will hold a one million-man march to drum support for former Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, who is contesting on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

CPO, made up of about 30 support groups, will anchor the event, which is expected to hold simultaneously across the 36 states of the federation and Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The groups include Peter Obi Support Network (POSN), Like Minds for Peter Obi (LMPO), Nigeria Needs Peter Obi (NNPO), TakeBackNaija (TBN), Women for Peter Obi (WPO), Associates of Peter Obi (APO), Peter Obi FC (POFC), Peter Obi Movement for President (POMP), Associates of Peter Obi (APO) Peter Obi Candidacy Movement (POCM) and Peter Obi Ambassadors (POA).

Chairman of CPO, Marcel Ngogbehei, said, yesterday, that the groups had been mobilised to ensure the success of the event.

Obi’s rival for the PDP ticket, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on his part, has pledged to secure the nation from terrorists and other violent criminals.

According to Atiku, without security, no development can take place for the six geopolitical zones to harness their respective capital and human resources.

The presidential aspirant made the pledge in Maiduguri, while addressing party delegates at the Forshams Hall.

His words: “The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has woefully failed to protect life and property since assumption of power in May 2015. Since then, tens of thousands of people were either kidnapped or killed by terrorists, kidnappers and bandits operating in the forests of three geopolitical zones.”

He, therefore, pledged that if the delegates give him the PDP presidential ticket at the primaries and he eventually wins the general ballot in 2023, peace would be restored to the country.

Another PDP presidential aspirant, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, yesterday, in Asaba, said the next president must pay attention to the yearnings of Nigerians on restructuring, devolution of power and fiscal federalism.  

Tambuwal stated that it was high time Nigerians sat down and engaged on how best to achieve efficient management and governance of the country, “so that Nigeria can work for all Nigerians.”  

Speaking to PDP delegates, in continuation of his tour of the country, in furtherance of his ambition, Tambuwal said: “Without addressing the issue of restructuring and other constitutional amendments, the country cannot move forward.”

Rev Fr. George Ehusani has thrown his weight behind the clamour for power shift to the South East geopolitical zone.

Speaking at the roundtable organised by Development Specs Academy (DSA) in Abuja, the Catholic priest said the call was in tandem with the need to ensure fairness in the country.

He contended that the South East is blessed with an array of competent personalities to address the multifaceted challenges besetting the country.

However, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has declared that the time to diversify the country’s economy has come.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant said this yesterday in Calabar, while addressing delegates and party supporters, in Calabar, Cross River State, yesterday, noted that Nigeria could not continue to operate a mono economy; hence the need to diversify as the country.