By Patrick Obia
The Convener “The New Nigeria Group” Dr. Sam Ohuabunwa has declared to run for the office of President in the 2023 general elections.
Dr. Sam joined the queue of those seeking the Peoples Democratic Party ticket yesterday while making his intention known to PDP members at the party’s secretariat in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
While presenting his manifestos to members of the PDP, he disclosed his key focus is geared towards abating if not ending poverty, corruption, injustice and insecurity bedeviling the Nation.
He said, “I am motivated by sufferings of Nigerians, by the degradation of human Nigerians, the lost of dignity for Nigerians; I am motivated by lack of economic activities by youths, 50% of our youths are unemployed while there is 71% poverty in the Nation; I am a comfortable Nigerian but in good conscience this is not the Nigeria I met. We need to rewrite the story of Nigeria so that we have youths that will be comfortable 3-4 years after they leave school.”
Asked how capable he is to tackle the problems and challenges staring the Nation, he added that, “I have God with me; He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world. When you have God you have all things and God has prepared me. I have served in various top rank capacities, I know Nigeria’s problems and understand them; I have the competence and character, the courage, vision and know how to mobilize people and get things down. I am prepared and capable of changing Nigeria’s story.”
On the security challenges, the aspirants asserted that “security challenge is the first thing we are going to tackle. I want to do it in three ways: buy security equipment, apparatus and manpower. Security is a commodity, you look for where we can buy security to secure our Nation because if a country cannot secure its people there is nothing else.”
Quizzed on how to deal with the issue of tribalism and nepotism Nigeria is struggling with, the Officer of the Order of Federal Republic (OFR) award recipient, inferred his strategy will be based on equity, fairness, justice and competency.
He said scaling through amongst other aspirants that will emerge both in PDP and other parties will be a battle of competence and prowess which he believes he’s endowed with than other aspirants.
His words: “I will face them ideal versus idea, logic versus logic, precedent versus precedence, experience to experience, profile to profile. It is also to let them know that politics and the desire to serve is not war, it is to present our positions to the electorates and let them make up their minds.”
Responding, the State Chairman of PDP, Venatius Ikem, Esq. welcomed and thanked the aspirant for being the first presidential aspirant to consult them.
The Chairman represented by his Deputy, Hon. Dennis Nkiri, assured the State PDP will adopt and work with him.
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