Consolidating on the backdrop of the success of the peoples democratic party (PDP) national convention, governors elected on the platform of the party have shifted their attention to 2023 with the aim of having the governor of Enugu state, His Excellency, Rt. Hon Dr Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Gburugburu) their very own and whom they have considered so fit as a Nigerian with a national blood and recognition, to fly the party’s Presidential flag for the 2023 Nigeria rescue project.
The 13 governors recently demonstrated their grip on the party as they succeeded in reducing what was meant a no contest, prevailing on 18 out of the 21 aspirants to the various party offices to queue behind consensus candidates. The development divinely proposed by the Ugwuanyi’s led zoning committee when submitted its report to the party for a final ratification, and which also inflicted political injury on many former top players as they were relegated to the background and watched the governors delivered their preferred candidates with little or no resistance.
Ahead of the 2023 election, the governors chose to respect equity, justice and fairness by having succeeded dethroning selfish and power elongation and what used to be a structural imbalance in the party that had led the PDP to playing an opposition party in Nigeria today, which was the main reason the party lost power to the APC maladministration Nigerians are gravely facing in our collective national heritage ‘the Nigeria’ the PDP governors have decided in one of their meetings, to support an idea of the power shifting to the Southeast of the country, having considered many factors in place such as: the country’s unity, our national cohesion, leadership imbalance and current visible marginalization of the zone by the APC led federal government.
Recall that the governor of Sokoto State and chairman of the PDP governors forum, together with his Bauchi state counterparts are said and believed to be nursing the ambitions even as they are yet to officially make it public for Nigerians. But in what seems to be realization of awakening national consciousness and placing our unity above self interest, the duo have reverted to have accepted to drop their Presidential ambitions to support Southeast produce the next leadership of this country with an assurance of having their colleague governor, H.E Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi be positioned as the party’s consensus Presidential candidate of the party for the rescue project of Nigeria, which in many determinant factors, have considered the peace mantra of Ugwuanyi as one who can confidently and uniquely unite the people without ceding to ethics bigotry.
However, speaking in confidence, a former governor of one of the Northeast states, who served the people of Adamawa state and member of the party’s national executive committee, (NEC) had during the last 2021 successful convention of the party in eagle square told few of us who served in the venue sub-committee, following the hitch-free conduct of the convention where the governors had their way, “they are now certain to bankroll one of their own from the Southeast to run for the presidency in the next general election, owing to the fact that equity and justice have it in good faith that the party should consider a serving governor from the zone and support for the leadership of this country. He then went further to mentioned the leadership qualities and genuine friendship character of the current Enugu governor as a man the party should rallied around and present as a candidate of PDP for Nigeria project, this is to him, if the party is serious enough to effect leadership changes at the centre.
According to the former governor, “it is too early to nominate the Enugu governor as has been endorsed by his colleagues for the ticket as others apart from those in the public are likely to join the race. What I can however tell you is that the governors have realized how powerful they truly are and are not going to yield an inch to anybody in the race to the Presidency. It will interest you to know that after the convention, the governors met, away from the prying eyes of the media, just to congratulate themselves and plot their next move for total consolidation of their recognized powers since there is not now any sitting President of Nigeria from the party, they therefore, in unanimous agreement without allowing infidels into their family to divide them no matter who the interests could be, to stand firm in every unity agreement and endorsement forming their final decisions. These governors control the delegates in their various states and even in those states where PDP do not have governors, they have found a way of exerting their influence. But this is not about power show; it is about change of guard, referring to governor Ugwuanyi’s single roles in nominating and electing from the Southeast, the national secretary of the party and also the party’s national deputy treasurer, in the likes of Sen. Sam Anyanywu and Hon Ndubuisi Ene (uncle chubby) from Enugu and Imo respectively through an alliance and party sportsmanship from other college governors.
The PDP governors simply want to be in charge as they believe that since the party lost the Presidency, they ordinarily ought to be the kingmakers. And who better to fly the Presidential ticket than a governor? They queried. With this development, the Presidential ambition of the former Vice President, Alh. Atiku Abubakar, immediate past Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki and the one time Secretary to the government of the Federation, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim may have hit the rock given the influence of the governors and the endorsement of Ugwuanyi in the affairs of the party as the only Nigerian leader from the Southeast at this material time, that can uncommonly work for the unity, political stabilization, responsive security approach to national cohesion and of course, a man with national acceptance, the country can for today entrust the leadership under his watch, having brought to bear his proactively uncommon stance in the stability of the party when given the responsibility to creating a viable option for the party to balancing the 21 NWC positions to reflect the federal character commission in carrying every political zones along. Southeast Presidency, according to the body language of the Nigerian people, would rest on the shoulders of the Enugu governor for the purpose of our national unity.
Let rescue Nigeria together:
Bibian Anekwe News added; “A Person always doing his best becomes a natural leader, just by example.”
Written by
Prince Ugochukwu Nwanjoku.