By Ogochukwu Isioma
Delta Governor, Sen. (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, has said that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate for the 2023 General Elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has solutions to the numerous challenges bedeviling the country.
Okowa said this on Thursday in his acceptance speech after his nomination as Vice-Presidential Candidate of the PDP at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.
He said that the solutions to Nigeria’s problems as a nation lay in Atiku’s book “My Covenant With Nigeria” and urged party members and all Nigerians to join hands with the PDP to rescue the nation from maladministration.
According to him, we must create in ourselves a new approach to political issues, a new commitment which I believe we all yearn for.
The vice-presidential candidate said: “it will require a lot of commitment and unity from each and everyone of us in our various wards, local governments and states.
“We need the PDP to return to power; we have answers to the questions because I have the opportunity of going through our candidate’s book ‘My Covenant with Nigeria’. It’s something worth studying and something put together that other presidential candidates of other parties have not been able to put together.
“When you go through it, you will find solutions to our problems in that document and I must appreciate our presidential candidate publicly for making this happen early enough.
“Many people are out there speaking to Nigerians, based on social media reports but he has taken time to understudy Nigeria because of the experience that he has had in the past and has been able to proffer solutions and I believe that by the grace of God, we will definitely take on the elections and win landslide.”
He appreciated the party and his colleagues for finding him worthy to be on the ticket, and said “I give thanks to God for this day and I must appreciate the party for having a very successful convention and I thank the National Chairman and his team and the Chairman of the Convention Committee for giving us a convention that everybody could definitely say was free and fair and we came out more united.
“I want to thank you our National Chairman and members of the NWC for steering the party through this period and we have produced a very experienced candidate who can take back Nigeria in our rescue mission and ensure that we are able to begin the rebuilding process of this nation from May 29, 2023.
“Mr President-in-waiting, I must truly thank you for finding me worthy to be on this ticket. I know that it was a very tough decision even as you have spoken this afternoon, but I thank God that among my very qualified colleagues even those more qualified than myself, that I found favour and I am here today as the Vice-Presidential candidate of the party.”
He called for the support of all party stakeholders and Nigerians to rebuild the nation.
“While thanking you sir, I do understand that there is a great work ahead of us and requires that all of us must come together.
“The rebuilding process is going to be collective and we are trusting that all our party members would want to be part of that story at the end of the day.
“The story which will be positive at the end of the day will require that all of us must support our principal as we move forward in the next few months and that we will at the end win the elections with a landslide victory.
“I am privileged to be on this ticket and by the special grace of God, with the National Chairman leading us, it will be well with our party.
“Again I thank Mr President-in-waiting, our great party and my dear colleagues for finding me worthy to be on the ticket and it is on this note that I wholeheartedly accept my nomination and pledge to remain loyal and faithful to our dear country.”
Earlier, Atiku had at the unveiling of Okowa, revealed that his running mate had to be someone he could ‘work’ with, trust and will support him wholeheartedly to steer the country to greater heights.
“In arriving at the decision, I held wide consultations with various stakeholders in our party, including our governors, National Working Committee, Board of Trustees and other leaders, to seek their inputs and their wisdom.
“In these consultations, I made clear that my running mate would have the potential to succeed me at a moment’s notice, that is, a President-in-waiting.
“Accordingly, let me state that the person I have chosen as my running mate possesses all those identified qualities. He personifies not only the seriousness the current moment represents for our country but also the future that our young people yearn for and deserve. He is a serving State Governor who has demonstrated, in his State and through his conduct, that governance is about service to the people.
“I know that he will not only add excitement to our already energized ticket and campaign, but will also help to bring focus, discipline and stability to our government, come 2023. I am pleased, therefore, to announce here my choice of running mate who will help to lead us to victory next year not only in the Presidential election but also in the governorship and legislative elections.
“And, he will be by my side as I work hard every day to provide our people with security, revive our economy, improve education and unite our country.
“He has both Legislative and Executive experiences. Please join me in welcoming to the ticket, the next Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Governor (Dr.) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa,” he said.
