By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The race to the Presidential villa in 2023 is getting more intense in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a coalition, known as ‘Like Minds” procured a N40 million Presidential Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for the 2019 Vice Presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi.
The group comprising of the “Like Minds”, “Take Back Nigeria group” and others stormed the National Headquarters of the party in their numbers on Thursday to procure the form which they intend to hand over to the aspirant.
Addressing journalists after the procurement exercise, the group led by Ekene Nwakuche said that it intends to raise about 10 million votes for Obi and pleaded with the party to provide a level playing ground for all aspirants with the hope that Obi will emerge as its candidate.The coalition said that they do not belong to any political party but resolved to support Obi based on his outstanding performance and intellectual sagacity which he brought to bear when he was the governor of Anambra state.
According to the group, “We believe in him because we’ve seen what he did in Anambra when he was a governor. And we have heard him talk, he has the wealth of experience to lead Nigeria to the promised land.
“So we’re buying the form from our group, the Likeminds. And because we know he’s a member of the PDP. That’s why we’re buying the form under the party, People’s Democratic Party, which is his party where he belongs. And we pray that the PDP will support him and by the grace of God we pray that he will scale through the primaries and fly the flag of the PDP” they stated.
The group lamented that the country is not going in the right direction and “we need someone, a technocrat that can steer the affairs of the country in the right direction, and cut down the cost of governance. Because we believe that if we cut down the cost of governance, that the country would move in the right direction.
“And we’ve been following, we are different individuals in the group, professionals, businessman, public servants, different category of contractors, artisans, we have members from everywhere in Nigeria, we’re fully represented.
“We’re doing it because of our children to come. Because if we don’t get it right this time around, this 2023, I don’t know where we’ll be. Each and every one of us here know how the country is and we want a better Nigeria. And I believe that if you’re from Nigeria, be it from the north, south, east, west, and you know, you want a better Nigeria, I don’t think there’s any other person that you’ll support than Peter Obi.
“There are other groups here that joined us too like another nonpartisan group called Take Back Nigeria. They want a better Nigeria and they believe that no other person can do it for us than Peter Obi.
“Take Back Nigeria group say they will bring 10 million votes. So if PDP gets it right and pick Peter, we know that we will deliver Nigeria to you as we pray that he will lead us to the promised land”.
