…As Sen. Ogba eyes Umahi’s seat
By Myke Uzendu, Abuja.
As the clock ticks towards the 2023 general election, Hon. Cosmos Ndukwe who is one of the Presidential aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lamented that every aspect of National life has collapsed under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Ndukwe who was former Chief of staff to Abia State governor and former Deputy Speaker in the state made the lamentation on Monday at the PDP headquarters in Abuja when he purchased his N40m Presidential Expression of Interest and Nomination forms.
The Presidential hopeful disclosed that the solution to the security situation in the is not rocket science as state governors recieved daily briefs from security agencies especially the Directorate of Security Service that has an array of plain cloth operates that gather intelligence daily.
Speaking with journalists on those qualities that qualifies him to aspire as the number one citizen of the country,
Ndukwe said “I am prepared to recover Nigeria and hand it over to the people, the real people, the owners. When the people are carried along, in activities that concerns the rulership of Nigeria.
“I think it’s time for people like us, who have the thought of people, who have the thought of the nation, who have passed through the crucibles and strategy of suffering to saddle the seat of this nation and recover Nigeria from duodron because this nation is going down to a point where there is nothing left again and it needs people who have the wherewithal to be able to recover this nation.
“We have collapsed in almost every point or facet of this nation, we have collapsed in security, we have collapsed in the economy, we have collapsed everywhere. I have intention to rebuild the nation”.
Ndukwe argued in support of a President from the South East insisting that it is in the interest of justice and equity. He explained that the zone has remained faithful with the party adding that PDP should reward the zone with the it’s Presidential ticket in appreciation of it’s loyalty and support.
Baring his mind on how to bring insecurity to a halt when he mounts the leadership podium, he said,
“The problem of security of this nation is 98% political and only 2% reality. Abacha said it and I believe that any security challenge that a nation cannot solve including that of Nigeria in one week, has some political undertone.
“As a chief of staff, I know that the issue of security suppose not to be discussed but I know that there are more than 1000 unclothed DSS people in our states fishing out information and sending out the same information to my boss. Are those people no longer there? If they are not there, them vote me as president and I will spur them to action”.
Meanwhile, Senator Obinna Ogba has promised better days to residents of Ebonyi if he successfully replaces Gov. Dave Umahi as the next Chief executive of the state on the platform of PDP.
Speaking with journalists after the submission of his Nomination and Expression of Interest forms, Sen. Ogba who is the Chairman Sports in the 9th Senate criticised the incumbent governor for relegating human capital development. He said that hunger and poverty were the major factors fuelling insecurity in the state.
According to Sen. Ogba, “Insecurity is caused by poverty and insecurity is caused by hunger. When you give the youth what they want, nobody will have time to start committing one crime or the other, I can assure of that. That’s why my motto is “Ebonyi will smile again”.
The lawmaker said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) does not have a chance as the defection of the governor was unpopular. He was confident that despite the persecution of PDP members and sympathisers in the state, the electorate will have the courage the vote for the party on the election day.
“The governor left alone to a APC. He did not leave with anyone in the party. The party people are still intact. The legislatirs are still there. The House of Rep members are still there, the House of Assembly members, eight of them are still with us and the leaders of the party, so we don’t even know that he has left the the party.
“He left the party, only himself and few of his appointees. You know that when he left, so many of his appointees resigned their appointment and still remained in the PDP. So we don’t have any problem whether we’re going to win or not, that is not an issue. What is important is that we as PDP should organize ourselves and come together and take our mandate” he said.
Also on same note, Abong Pius Bessong aspiring for Ikom Boki Federal Constituency, Cross River state has cautioned PDP on the need to conduct free and fair primary election if the party has the intention of taking back Cross River state.
The aspirant who spoke to journalists when he returned his Expression of Interest and Nomination forms said that the state is a strong hold of the party and that it has all the opportunity to sweep all the seats in the next election as long as it’s primary elections are free, fair and credible.
He said “I emplore our party the PDP to.change the pattern of primary in our different states. Let them go into proper detailing and surveying to know that an aspirant is more grounded before the ticket is given to such aspirant because in Cross River today, it is no more like it was before that PDP was everywhere. So if we must win our election, there should be credible and acceptable aspirant by generality of the people.
“So I therefore wish to state clearly that if we do the right thing in Cross River state by doing the proper primaries, not by adoption or by consensus candidate, proper primaries and a transparent one so that if anybody is elected on the basis of transparency, I think the masses will be very happy to vote the person into power.
“Am only using this medium to appeal to the party hierarchy that they should be on ground and that they should do proper primaries. If this is done, then we can stand the test of the general election. This will be the most credible election because everyone is willing to vote” he said.
