•We’ll disappoint Nigerians if we don’t take over power — Makarfi
Ahead of the 2023 Presidential election, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, yesterday in Kaduna, said Nigeria is bleeding and that the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, needs to take over power in 2023 from the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, to save the country.
This came as Wike’s host and former Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, told the Rivers’ Governor and his entourage that Nigerians would be disappointed in the PDP if the party fails to unite and take over power.
Governor Wike told the crowd that besieged Makarfi ‘s Kaduna residence to see him that he was not on a political trip but to see Senator Makarfi who just returned from medical trip abroad.
According to him, Makarfi was important and held in high esteem by PDP members because of his leadership qualities and the gallantry he displayed to save the party breaking up.
He said among others, “I did not come here for politics, I came to see somebody who has contributed his own to the party, the growth of the party and if anything happens to him, it happens to all of us in the party. I know that Kaduna will suffer for it. We thank God in His infinite mercy that he has recovered very well. I did not know Senator Makarfi until he became chairman of PDP. Not that I did not know who senator Makarfi was but we were not as close. We got close when he became chairman of our party. You cannot buy leadership; leadership is given by God. You know who has leadership qualities when a party is in crisis.
“When our party was in crisis, when Ali Modu Sheriff was to be used to kill our party, you stood firm, committed and showed boldness and said I have no other place to go other than the PDP. He built the party from the shackles of Ali Modu Sheriff and it is good when you speak to somebody, you know that he is a human being.
“Whatever he tells you is what he will say in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening. That is leadership, not someone that will say something in the morning and say a different thing in the afternoon and in the evening and then people call it politics. That is not politics.
“Continue to do what you have been doing .You have won elections, I saw how PDP came out strong even though we are the opposition during the councillorship elections. Despite being the opposition, you are on ground in Kaduna State and for the party to be on ground, it requirs a strong leadership.
“There is still time, you will recover fully so that you can be battle ready against them come 2023. I want to also urge all of you, you see in every family there are bound to be problems, put yourselves together. Nigeria is bleeding and if we are not united Nigeria will not forgive us because every Nigerian is hoping that PDP must come and stop this bleeding.
“The issue at stake now is not who wants to run for presidency or where to zone presidency, the issue now is that all party members must be united because if you like zone president to the West, if you are not united you cannot achieve anything. So, the most important thing now is the unity of the party, forgive anybody who may have gone astray, bring back everybody and use you leadership qualities to forgive.
“I will render support whenever it is needed to move the party forward as the PDP is the only party in the country which has hope. The All Progressive Congress, APC, has finished Nigeria, they no longer have new ideas and if they have ideas, they did not use it.”
Responding, Makarfi, said among others, played our role, but you played a key role. I commend you for this role towards the successful convention of the party. There were differences but at the end of the day we came out as one strong PDP family and put our adversaries to shame and it is what they can never do.
“I absolutely believe that with the same energy and perseverance we can do it again. If there is no party what is the point of your ticket. Therefore, we have to build the party first, we have to be united and when a consensus is decided, we should all have one voice.
“I agree with you, we will be disappointing Nigerians if we do not come together and take over power to recover Nigeria for Nigerians. We will not rest on our oars until we see the PDP in the overwhelming majority of states in power and nationally in power.”
VANGUARD
