Former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi has made his intention known on why he wants to be the next Nigerian president under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2023. The 2019 vice presidential candidate of PDP after his consultation with the party’s national working committee at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja told journalists that he is not desperate to be a president but desperate to see a better Nigeria.
He said: “You have to check my trajectory as a person, look at all the people that are contesting and view my background, you will probably see that I am the only person who has a very unique background. “I am a businessman, I have chaired corporations in this country including SEC and so many quoted companies and I have been a governor. It is for you to go and check all those places and see what I have been able to do and ask yourself who is the right person to take leadership of this country at this difficult time. “Our country is now going through a difficult time. I am not desperate to be a president, I am desperate to see a better Nigeria.”
Given the harsh realities in the country, the former governor advised the PDP to be sure that it creates the enabling environment for the best candidate to emerge as its flag bearer. He stated: “We are in a crises situation. What the party can do is to allow the best candidate to emerge. Our country is in a crises situation, we are now using over 90% of our budget to service debt. “First months of last year, we earned N1,875tr, we used N1,802 to service debt. That is, 98%of our revenue was thrown into servicing debt. Last year we said that on the budget of N13trillion, we were supposed to borrow N4trillion but what we generated was far below. So, we borrowed N6.5 to N7trillion. This year, we said that we are going to generate N20trillion to borrow only N7trillion but I can assure you that we will borrow more than that. So, we have crises on our hands.
“So, in this situation, you need to bring in a competent person, a good manager of resources. We need to manage our resources. That is the crisis we face. “So, if someone comes and tells you that he can do this and that, ask him to show you where he has done that before. Tell us who you are, and we will look at your past. Where did you do it before? If someone comes today and says am going to save, ask him where did you save. “If you want to know further, go and read Ngozi Okonjo’s book “Fighting Corruption Is Dangerous” and see all the governors who supported and who did not support savings. Peter Obi was the only one who supported savings.”
Speaking on the ongoing economic crisis in the country, the presidential aspirant observed that Nigeria’s condition is bad, saying: “We are now on the top of the list of the most fragile state. We are now on the top of the list of the most terrorised state sitting behind Yemen and Afghanistan.
