The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that the preservation of the country is dependent on a situation in which all the zones feel included in the nation’s politics.
Obaseki said this on Wednesday, April 13, 2023, when he received the former Governor of Anambra State and presidential aspirant, Mr. Peter Obi, in Government House, Benin City, as part of Obi’s ongoing consultations with leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 presidential elections.
The Edo Governor who spoke to journalists after the meeting, said: “For us in Edo, it is about Nigeria first, whatever we are doing politically must be one that would strengthen and preserve our country, and our view is that this country, Nigeria, cannot be preserved and sustained if there is no fairness and equity, because we need that unity.”
He emphasized: “We need to realize that as a country, we all must feel that we are part of this country and have access and opportunities like anyone of us. Anything that is not inclusive, Edo is not part of it; Edo wants us to build a strong united country so that we can face the challenges ahead of us.
“So as we look towards 2023, we must understand that for us to preserve our country, all parts of this country must feel included in the politics.”
Obaseki advised that Nigerians would be setting the basis for crisis if any part or zone is left out, or not considered as having what it takes to provide leadership in Nigeria.
Harping on the need for sustained stakeholder consultation and alignment ahead of the election, Obaseki said: “We must have a situation where there are adequate consultations across the various groups and across the divides, so that we can build, if you don’t even call it a consensus, but build an alignment to produce a leadership that can take Nigeria out of the crises we face today.”
He thanked the presidential aspirant for coming to Edo as he continues his consultations across the country.
Earlier, Mr. Obi expressed his gratitude to Obaseki for the warm reception accorded him and his entourage, and explained that his “aspiration is borne out of the fact that our country is going through a very difficult time and we will need to make sacrifice in building a better nation for our children.”
Obi added that the country needs someone who is conversant with the enormity of the problems besieging the country today.
“If not aggressively tackled from 2023, this country will not be there for all of us for a long time” the former Anambra State governor added.
On consensus, he said: “I am in alignment with anything that will bring about equity, respect and love of each zone, we want fairness. The foundation of building in a multi-ethnic, diverse society and nation like Nigeria, the first foundation of building unity in order to commence development is fairness, equity, respect and love for each other.
“You have to bring everybody and be inclusive, it must be with respect. We will work with everyone, whatever you call it, as long as it is fair, equitable, with love and of course you have to consult and dialogue, whatever we are going to do, must be with consultation, dialogue and love.”
