By Ada Okafor, Abuja
One of the presidential aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), during the party’s presidential primary, Dr. Cosmos Ndukwe, has commended former president Olusegun Obasanjo, and Chief Edwin Clark, for endorsing the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, ahead of the February 25 presidential poll.
Similarly, a former Minister for Education, Prof. Ihechukwu Madubuike, also commended the duo, described the endorsement as “a public voice resonating with the values of justice, equity, inclusiveness, good conscience, and, in favor of a new “tribe”, of competence and capacity.”
This is as the Igbo Think Tank has described the endorsements as “a pan-Nigerian endorsement”.
Ndukwe who spoke with our Correspondent said the forthcoming elections would be based on competence and integrity of the individual candidates and not political on their political platform.
According to the former Deputy Speaker, Abia State House of Assembly, Nigeria is at the crossroads and needs a political Messiah to pull her from the brinks.
He declared his total support for Obasanjo and Clark’s actions, while commending them for their courage to speak out.
His words: ” I’m of the PDP but I give my 100% support to the endorsements by Obasanjo and Clark. I also support what Gov. Samuel Ortom is saying.
”I’m super elated by the endorsement of Obi by Obasanjo and Edwin Clark. These are elder statesmen on their departure longue with their boarding pass, and they have seen Nigeria from the cradle.
We are looking for somebody who is ready to pull Nigeria from consumption to production country. This is not the time for political correctness but the bitter truth that can save this country because Nigeria is sick.
“We need strong, vibrant, intelligent and visionary young people with integrity that the world can reckon with. All over other progressive countries of the world, it’s young people that are coming on board.
”We don’t need people that we will be changing their diapers or people junketing the world on picnics. We need somebody who will salvage this country from total collapse.”
Ndukwe added:” That endorsement is proper and timely. They are speaking to Nigerian youths to take over their country from political hijackers.
”What we are voting in the forthcoming election is individual’s capacity and those ready to move the country forward. This issue of party loyalty has terribly put the country backwards.
”This time, we need competence and integrity. Among all the presidential candidates, Obi stands out very clear like 7-Up which has the slogan ‘the difference is clear’”.
Asked if his support for the endorsement of another party’s candidate might not earn him the discipline of the PDP, Ndukwe dared the party.
On whether he is not afraid his position might earn his the discipline of his party, he retorted:” What kind of stick are they going to wield that has not been wielded?
“Nigeria is sick and needs a surgeon. You cannot take a heart disease patient to a gynaecologist; you take him to a cardiologist. Nigeria has heart disease and needs to see a Cardiologist, and that Cardiologist is Obi”.
Professor Madubuike said Obasanjo’s endorsement was unbiased and objective, and urged Nigerians to heed it.
“It distances itself from political chauvinism and individualism, especially of the emi-lokan variety, to embrace a universalist political ideal which also promotes a consciousness that is pro-African- of being our brother’s keepers; that puts into relevance the lessons of the irreversible ravages of time and age on our individual capacities and competences, of water never flowing backwards.
“It is a voice to incubate a community of sharing, that is tolerant , youth-sensitive and forward- looking; a country with a praxis to become a nation and ready to drive the process of growth and greatness that has eluded us all this while.
”A country under a servant God-fearing leadership that listens, is youth friendly, humble and visionary, encompassing OBJ’s TVCP principles of nation building. It is a valent ,utilitarian epistle.
”We should make it a gospel, a message of political rejuvenation, of economic and moral redemption for Nigeria.”
In a separate interview, the Chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT, Igbo Think Tank, Professor Madubuike Ezeibe, particularly hailed Obasanjo for speaking the bitter truth.
The Professor of Virology said that Obasanjo did not speak for himself but for the vast majority of Nigeria elders.
He said that Nigeria elders and progressive minds from across the geopolitical zones had been convinced that Obi stands out above other presidential candidates in addition to power rotation that flavours him most.
“OBJ’s endorsement is loaded. It’s a pan-Nigerian endorsement. He didn’t speak for himself but for other elders.
”It’s just like the situation in 1999 when Nigeria elders decided to put forward Obasanjo to quell the trouble in the South West region arising from the annulment of June 12,1993 presidential election.
”The elders met and decided to save the situation by paving the way for the South West to produce the President. Olu Falae and Olusegun Obasanjo were made the presidential candidates of the two leading political parties.
”This was planned and not by accident. It restored peace to the country. The same way, the way to solve the problem in the country now is by allowing the South East to produce the President.
”The presidency has been rotated, but why are they trying truncate it because it’s the turn of the South East? If they do it, it may lead to crisis we may not be able to handle.
“For instance, on Mondays they say we should stay at home. But if police say:’don’t mind them, have they been able to protect the people?”
