The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Vice Presidential candidate in next year’s general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has said that the people of the southeast geopolitical zone are tired of being marginalised in the country.
Obi, who stated this during a courtesy visit to the Chairman of Southeast Governors’ Forum and Ebonyi State governor, David Nwaeze, pointed out that his nomination had created an opportunity for the people of the zone to start thinking on how to start rebuilding it.
He explained that southeast leaders were not against his emergence but against the process which he said had caused disaffection between some southeast leaders.
He said that his visit was for him to receive the blessing of Governor David Umahi as the chairman of the Southeast Governors’ Forum.
“For me this is a home. But I am coming today to see you as the chairman of this zone because I do not have the opportunity of paying my courtesy call after my nomination as vice presidential candidate from our zone which you know was possible if not for you in particular and other PDP leader.
“It was your leadership that made the candidate to start thinking of southeast person. If you did not bring the PDP family together, that would not have been possible. So, these are proofs of your leadership. I, for one, never thought this would happen to me. I have never discussed with anybody and how it happened, to me is only God can explain.
“I need to come home to assure people like you that that nomination is not personal to me. It is from the southeast and cannot be successful without blessing from your kind person as the chairman of the zone.
“As the chairman of the zone, it is you singularly working with other governors and all PDP members that will make that nomination worthwhile. Any other thing will be opposite and unsuccessful.
“Of course, since after the nomination, there have been issues where people have put all of us in dispute. But I have called and severally maintained that never at anytime did the leaders of this zone disagreed with my nomination; they disagreed with the process.
“But of course, we now live in an era where the social media controls every sense of news and every type of news. This journey will not be successful without your leadership and that is why I am here to solicit for his continue leadership of the zone and PDP as a party is desirable of returning to power.
“Not just we want to return to the centre, it is because we have seen a mismanagement of our country Nigeria. Every indices of development in Nigeria today is very low. Even in the fight against corruption, we have moved from 26 to 48. Everything is very bad. We cannot continue that way.
“So, PDP wants to come back and continue with building the nation. We are tired of marginalisation. This is an opportunity to start rebuilding the entire zone, and it could only happen with your leadership. That is why I am here for your blessing. Be rest assured of my loyalty and availability always.
Responding, Governor Umahi expressed joy over the nomination of Peter Obi.
He said he had never had differences with him, noting that both of them were misinterpreted badly.
“Like I have said severally, nobody appoints the deputy. If somebody imposes your deputy on you, it will not work. It is like a marriage. So, nobody is angry for anybody selecting anybody.
“You have already said that the Igbo leaders are not angry with you. But I have said that I cannot repent of what I have said before. I had said it severally that the process is not okay with us.
“I have fought the battle before now and I am still fighting it. And that created some illusion in our minds. Some Igbo leaders understood it and those who did not understand they have the right not to because my fear is that if this is happening without explanation, I do not know what will happen when we go to the poll. Because we just went to the poll and came back and this is what we are getting.
“That you nominated our son is our right because in every meeting I said that we will support the candidate who is ready to give us the vice presidential candidate. It must also be understood that southeast has so much been frustrated and marginalised. We have been chased out of all our rights and positions”, Umahi reiterated.
