2023 Election: Clark, IBB, Ortom Endorse Peter Obi For President

2023 Election: Clark, IBB, Ortom Endorse Peter Obi For President

Former military Head of State, Gen­eral Ibrahim Babangida, and elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, on Tuesday endorsed Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), for president in the 2023 general election.

This is coming as Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State on Tuesday also threw his weight behind the endorsement of Peter Obi by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Obasanjo had on Sunday endorsed Peter Obi for president.

General Babangida’s endorsement was conveyed in his verified Twitter handle @General_Ibbro, following on the lead on new year day by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Babangida, who extolled the leadership role of President Olusegun Obasanjo, identifying him as an elder statesman and foremost General, said he cannot agree less with his endorsement of Obi, a position that has equally set the social media abuzz.

He said: “Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo will forever be a true elder statesman and a boss in the military. No serv­ing General in the Nigerian army today joined the mil­itary earlier than 1982. By then, Obasanjo had already finished his military career. I respect him a lot, with his endorsement”.

Similarly, leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PAN­DEF), Chief Edwin Clark, in a four-page statement he personally read in Abuja, on Tuesday, said Peter Obi and his running mate, Ahmad Datti, met all the qualification to lead Nigeria at this time.

Chief Clark in the statement entitled ‘Peter Obi, My Choice for the 2023 Presidential Election’, said he came to that conclusion after a meeting of PANDEF leaders where the demands of leaders of Niger Delta region were articulated and presented to the former governor of Anambra State.

He said Obi shares his vision of a united, egalitar­ian and just society built on shared prosperity and com­mitment to justice, equity and fairness.

Chief Clark said Obi’s vision for Nigerian youths hitherto forgotten by successive administrations calls for total support for it to be realised and urged all well-meaning Nigerians irrespective of re­ligious and political leaning to rally support for the Obi-Datti presidency.

“I have since been fully briefed on the successful out­come of the interaction held at that occasion. Amongst other things, I have taken note of the following observations which came out of the meeting:

“That PANDEF presented the expectations and demands of the peoples of the Niger Delta, comprising infrastruc­tural development, devolution of power, resource control, effective and inclusive par­ticipation in the oil and gas sector, amongst other things, to the presidential candidate.

“That the vision statement shared by His Excellency Peter Obi at the occasion, as it relates to making Nigeria more productive, using the rich re­source endowment in every part of the country; curbing waste and fighting corrup­tion; and creating jobs for our teeming youths through innovative initiatives is very commendable.

“That his restated commitment to restructuring and devolution of power, will pro­mote harmony, peaceful co­existence amongst the states and constituent parts of the country.

“That his vision for more equity and justice as it per­tains to the South-South re­gion, which in the past sixty years has produced much of the revenue for the national economy, but has been ne­glected with little impact in terms of infrastructure and social development, is con­vincing and commendable”.

Chief Clark said Peter Obi’s commitment to environ­mental justice to the cleanup of the Niger Delta polluted communities and unwaver­ing commitment to reactiva­tion of ports, development of blue economy and maritime sector, and investment in gas sector, developing of modu­lar refineries, are dear to his heart.

He listed the qualifications of the Obi-Datti candidacy to include their sound educa­tion, insisting that “those who aspire to rule Nigeria must have good education, trans­parency and well-articulated vision for moving the country forward”.

On the strength of the above, he declared the Obi-Datti presidency will better address the current challenges facing the coun­try, adding, “The youths are the greatest beneficiary of Mr. Peter Obi’s presidential election victory, because no previous government has thought of their interest. Nigeria is one of the most uneducated countries in the world, it is the world poverty capital. Mr. Peter Obi’s elec­tion will definitely take care of the presidency of Nigeria by rotation, because Nigeria does not belong to one reli­gion, region, etc.

“The decision of the leaders of Southern Nigeria and Middle Belt Forum, which I also lead, that the Northern part of the country as represented by President Muhammadu Buhari, which would have completed full eight years as president by 29th May, 2023, should yield power to candidates from the South for purpose of unity, equity and fair play.

“That the South-East geo political zone, which has not produced any elected president of this country since after the First Republic, and particularly during this Fourth Republic should be given the opportunity to produce the next president of Nigeria given that the zone has the capacity to present highly competent and qualified per­sons for the office.

“That this will bring to practical expression the commitment of the General Yakubu Gowon led Federal Military Government of ‘No Victor, No Vanquished’, a dictum, at the end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1970. This was where General Yakubu Gowon directed my former boss and military governor of defunct Mid-West State, Col. S.O. Ogbemudia, to canvass for reconciliation, reintegration, rehabilitation and reconstruction of every section of the country, while I, as Commissioner for Education was saddled with the responsibility for playing critical role in the implementation of these policies.

“And that, given his sound educational background, dis­tinguished antecedent in pro­fessional life and track record as one of the most outstand­ing governors this country has ever produced during his tenure in Anambra State and his vision for the country and the Niger Delta in particular, His Excellency Peter Obi is eminently qualified to lead this country as president.”

Ortom Backs Obasanjo’s Endorsement Of Obi

Correspondingly, Gover­nor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has thrown his weight behind the endorsement of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Pe­ter Obi, by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The governor, who is a mem­ber of the Peoples Democrat­ic Party (PDP) and supports the endorsement of Obi by Obasanjo also recommended Obi to Nigerians as a man with the capacity to rule the nation.

In a statement signed by Terver Akase, Special Advis­er on Media and Publicity to Governor Ortom and made available to newsmen in Makurdi on Tuesday, the gov­ernor was quick to say that if he were not a member of the PDP, he would have personal­ly led Obi’s campaign across the country.

The statement read in part, “Benue State governor, Samu­el Ortom, commends former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his endorsement of Peter Obi as the right candidate to win this year’s presidential election and provide the lead­ership that Nigerians desire.

“The governor states that if he were not a member of the Peoples Democratic Par­ty he would have personally led Obi’s campaign across the country.

“Governor Ortom strong­ly recommends Peter Obi to Nigerians as the man who has the capacity to effectively tackle the economic, security and other challenges facing the country.”

The statement further ex­plained that “He (Ortom) is convinced that Obi possesses the qualities of a leader who will be a true president of this country by guaranteeing jus­tice, equity and fairness for all Nigerians.

“The governor stresses that for some years, the coun­try has been tottering on the verge of collapse, owing to leadership failure and its attendant consequences of poverty, heightened insecuri­ty with banditry, kidnappings and other acts of terrorism threatening the very founda­tions of the nation.

“The president that Nige­ria needs at this challenging time in the country’s history is one who understands the urgent need to unite the peo­ple and speedily initiate poli­cies and actions to redirect the ship of the nation on the path of growth and development, and emphasises that Peter Obi has all such qualities.”

Governor Ortom, there­fore, lauded Obasanjo for demonstrating objectivity, truth and patriotism as a statesman whose views on national issues must be taken seriously.