Continuing the push for a consensus presidential candidate, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Tuesday, played host to a former President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki; Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Bala Muhammed (Bauchi) and an experienced banker, Mohammed Hayatu-deen, at the Oyo Government House, Ibadan.
Upon arrival at about 3.40 pm, the host, Makinde led Saraki, Tambuwal, Muhammed, Hayatu-deen, who are all presidential aspirants, into a private meeting.
Emerging from the meeting, Saraki said the four presidential aspirants had decided that notwithstanding their various individual interests, they were keen to subject themselves to a consensus arrangement.
Above their individual aspirations, Saraki said the presidential aspirants were keener on uniting to tackle hardship, insecurity, serving the interest of Nigerians and providing a brighter future for the nation.
He noted that the consensus arrangement being sought is not zoning but having a presidential candidate that all persons across geopolitical zones will rally around to fix and rebuild the country.
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Saraki said: “We have looked at the country today, the hardship our people are going through, with the issue of insecurity, and it is clear that it is only our party the PDP that can provide that brighter future for this country.
“But, in doing that, we, ourselves as a party, must be ready for government in 2023 and that fact includes uniting ourselves and being focused that it is not about our individual difference; it is the interest of Nigerians that matters.
“We all, of course, have shown individual interest to be the president but we have decided in our meetings that we are ready to subject ourselves to a consensus arrangement. That consensus arrangement is not just one for a part of the country either North or South.
“It is a consensus arrangement for the PDP because whoever wins this ticket cannot address, fix and rebuild this country by himself, he needs the support of everybody and we want that foundation to start from that process and that is why we are all here.”
Saraki explained that the presidential aspirants visited Makinde for him to understand their reasons for pushing for a consensus arrangement
He said the Oyo State governor listened to them and offered his own ideas, values and commitment to the interest of Nigeria.
In his own remarks, the host, Makinde said just like the PDP adopted a consensus arrangement towards emergence of its national chairman, it was keen to do same in the case of emergence of its presidential candidate.
Makinde said he gave his “elder brothers” the assurance of working hand in hand with them, getting the buy-in of stakeholders towards having a rancour-free consensus arrangement.
Makinde said: “We have discussed behind closed doors regarding the consensus arrangement we are trying to put together. We have done it at the last convention of our party. It was the first time that PDP was able to achieve bringing in a national chairman for the party through a consensus arrangement.
“So, we believe we can do it and we also believe Nigerians will take this party serious when they know that we are all working together to give to them a President through a process that has everybody’s buy-in, with no rancour.
“So, I promised my elder brothers that we will work for hand in hand, work together to ensure that this consensus arrangement is successful.
“I have also said that internally, we will ensure that people understand what we are trying to do and where there is any iota of doubt or confusion, we will put a mechanism in place where that will get addressed almost immediately.”
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