The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) joint Caucus in the National Assembly has given the go-ahead to former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, to seek the party’s presidential ticket for next year’s election.
He got the approval at a meeting summoned to brief the caucus on Tuesday night at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.
The former Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), who recently declared his intention to vie for the ticket, had told the lawmakers that he could not have proceeded without seeking the consent of his primary constituency.
Anyim said if they did not want him to contest, he would stand down, but if he got their nod, he would go into the race with determination.
Addressing the joint caucus over dinner, the former Senate President stated: “Tonight, I feel so delighted to be your midst. The fact is that I was to see the caucuses in the National Assembly.
“But I said no, let’s have an evening outing no matter how short and brief because it will make way for better interaction and also make the matter not a too serious matter but a matter of brothers and sisters coming together to look backwards and then look forward.
“It’s my expectation that the meeting will not be for any serious length of time because there is really nothing to say. I simply said I needed to report myself to my primary constituency.
“If you are hearing about this journey, without this formal consultation, I will have the guilt upon me to even talk to you individually. And I said, Let’s have this formal outing. Then I’ll take time also to reach all of you individually.
“And the whole idea of this formal outing is for people to know that we believe in PDP. We are proud of PDP. We are committed to PDP. And our future is tied to PDP. So, some time back and I’m sure a number of you would have read, I looked at our political environment, I looked at the present climate and I weighed back and forth. and I thought I should seek on your behalf the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“I cannot do it on my own. I cannot do it alone. But if the people that I will do it with a look back and forth and say, don’t go, I will stop where you ask me to stop. But if tonight you ask me, go ahead, be strong and courageous that you are with me, be sure I will lead the fight. And whatever be the obstacle on the way, when I remember that you are with me, I will be bold enough to confront it.
“So, tonight, I have come to ask you whether we can set out on this journey. If you say so, then be sure that I’m resolved to lead the charge, if you advise otherwise, I will listen very attentively like a party man and I’ll be loyal.
“So, my brothers and sisters, there is not much to talk about, except to present myself to you tonight, to see your advice, to seek your support to seek your guidance to seek your prayers. But above all to seek your partnership. Thank you.”
Responding on behalf of the joint caucus, Senate Minority Leader, Eyinnaya Abaribe, said being one of their own, they could not tell Anyim not to contest, advising him not to relent.
Abaribe observed that former lawmakers are better administrators because they have a better grasp of the issues.
The Senate Minority Leader stated: “There is something that happens everywhere in the world. When members of the National Assembly get to the executive position, they do much better than anybody else. Because they understand how to manage the other side. We know that being one of our own, how can we tell you not to continue on that journey? It is going to be very difficult for us to do that.
“So, on behalf of the joint caucus of the National Assembly, we’re saying to you, do not relent go ahead and continue to charge and go forward to become the president of Nigeria.
“We’re not going to do any other thing except to tell you that as a caucus, as those who are in touch with the grassroots of Nigeria, that this consultation which is the first in the series of consultations, that we know people are going to come because they’ll open the road now, every other presidential contestant will want to see us. And we will, of course, listen to them. And we will also give them due consideration to whatever plea they make us.
“So, on behalf of the National Assembly, the joint focus of the PDP, we want to thank you for this direction that you are taking.”
In his remarks, House Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, observed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had become disjointed, noting that the PDP should be ready to profit from the fall out of the February 26 national convention of the ruling party.
He advised PDP presidential aspirants to conduct their campaigns with decorum and not abuse one another.
Elumelu said: “APC as a party’s disjointed and PDP has successfully shown that they can lead the way. Today we have completed our convention. All the Congresses were done without acrimony. But of course, you know, the APC set out to elect 36 state chairmen plus FCT and they have succeeded in electing 92. So I wonder how they’re going to do their convention.
“So it now behoves on us to be more united and open our doors because the fallout of February 26 will form a new Nigeria where PDP will be leading the progressives to rescue Nigeria.
“And for that, I want to plead with our presidential hopefuls to talk to their supporters. We should not abuse ourselves. We should not insult ourselves because at the end of the day it is the same house that we all belong to. Let all of you go out there and canvass for support.”
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