Obaseki stated this on Monday, April 4, 2022 in Benin while addressing four Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) presidential aspirants who were in Edo Government House, Benin to pay him a courtesy call.
“Forty years ago, we had a big cake to share but today that cake has disappeared. Whoever aspires to be the president of this country must be somebody that Nigerians are ready to give ingredients to bake a bigger national cake for us all.
“For us in Edo, we are ready and stand for building a bigger, stronger and better Nigeria as we cannot continue the way we are today.
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“We are concerned that except PDP comes out and rally Nigerians around, it will be difficult to pull Nigeria back from the brink.
“Things are really bad and difficult for our people. We have never had it this bad.
“We have never had the level of the combination of poverty and inflation, as inflation in Nigeria is pushing millions of people into starvation. We are also experiencing security challenges.
“Many have been kidnapped in Nigeria as we speak and this is not about individual aspiration, but about Nigeria, as we need the country to survive to be able to push our individual aspirations.
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“Thanks for providing leadership and trust, God Almighty that has given you the wisdom to make Nigeria the higher goal.
“I can’t thank our visitors enough for bringing a new lease of life into our politics.
“This is a new model in leadership selection where leaders with higher aspirations can come together for the good of the people.
“They are working towards a consensus candidate arrangement, knowing the task of becoming Nigeria’s president is enormous”, he said.
Earlier, former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, who spoke on behalf of Alhaji Mohammed Hayatudeen, Bala Mohammed, and Aminu Tambuwal, said they were in Benin to canvass the adoption of a consensus presidential candidate ahead of the 2023 polls.
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“We all know the situation we found ourselves in our country and there is the need for the PDP to provide a platform and in doing that, we realise that the interest of the country is more paramount to our own interests.
“We don’t want to dissipate our energy on just trying to get to power, but how to help make Nigeria better.
“A lot of Nigerians out there are really going through a hard time and as a party we want to show that we are really committed to their interests, our individual interest is secondary; we really want your support in this process.
“We need your support in this process, what Nigerians need now is a president that has a team to work with, the problems are huge and we all have the qualities to lead this country,” he said.
