Nwodo, Clark, Adebanjo, Others Reveal Presidential Candidate PDP Should Vote

• Ahead of today’s presidential election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum has tasked the opposition party to present a candidate who will restructure Nigeria In a statement issued yesterday by the Forum and signed by its leaders, Chief E.K Clark, South-South; Chief Ayo Adebanjo, South West; Chief John Nwodo, South-East and Dr. Bitrus Pogu, Middle Belt, the Forum said the primaries stand on the threshold of history, adding that Nigeria today lies prostrate in the intensive care unit of afflicted countries as it moves dangerously to the edge of the precipice.

The statement read: “Most indices of measuring growth and development are in the negative for us just as our polity remains divided more than at any other time in our history because of the activities of a dispersing leadership at a time we need a unifier. It is also quite dispiriting that there are so many theatres of conflicts in our country today with its attendant needless loss of lives with no leader with the required will to use the law to protect citizens from the activities of those unleashing terror on fellow citizens.

“It is against this backdrop that we appeal to delegates to ensure that the candidate who will emerge from their convention is one that will fully understand what the job of a leader is when a country is in the type of crisis Nigeria is enmeshed in at the moment.

“Nigeria needs urgently a leader who knows that the first urgent business that confronts Nigeria from May next year is to restructure the country in order to return it to the practise of Federalism so every corner of Nigeria can become productive and the various nationalities can live in peace and harmony in a conducive atmosphere where productivity will provide.”

The elder statesmen noted further that: “We like the delegates to know that people from our constituencies will only vote for a candidate who genuinely believes in restructuring and not anyone just using it for a political campaign.

“Our Forum interfaced with most of these aspirants over three weeks and identified those who fully understand what restructuring means and who are committed to it.

“We must also emphasise that we will support a Presidential candidate who will move away from the template of running our country for sectional gambit at the expense of others as inclusive governance must be the watchword of the next leader of our country.

“The delegates should put Nigeria first in their consideration and realise that restructuring will benefit every section of Nigeria as it will bring out the best from all corners. They should know that it is this commonality that has made us to forge a common front with the Northern Elders Forum under the aegis of Nigerian Leaders and Elders Forum and we are all on the same page on the need to restructure Nigeria.