A group made up young professionals and people in business has purchased the N40m expression of interest and nomination forms for former Senate President Bukola Saraki, to enable him contest for the presidential seat under People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
The group said the move become imminent as its shop for a president that will have youths of the country at heart focused on Saraki.
They were at the PDP Secretariat in Abuja to purchase the forms and officially handed handed them to the former Kwara State governor at his his Maitama residence on Monday.
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The group’s leader, Abubakar Danmusa, while addressing newsmen after the presentation, noted that the current state of issues around the country motivated their decision to front Saraki.
Danmusa said the group wants a president who is not a religious bigot or tribalistic, a unifier; a bridge builder; an experienced person; a compassionate, courageous and cool-headed President.
Danmusa explained, “Thus, after extensive deliberations, we have concluded that the situation of our country is so far from what it should be if we have the right leadership. The country is not running as a functional entity that can bring the best out of her citizens and provide the best for the generality of the people.
“We are particularly unhappy that the country is not providing the right atmosphere for the millions of its youths to serve as agents of development. Instead, many of our compatriots are being forced to go into negative activities because the system is not encouraging them to utilise their positive potential.
“It is for these reasons that we concluded that we should not leave the process leading to the emergence of the next President of our country to only politicians. We have decided to get involved right from the pre-primary election period. We are determined to ensure that only good, solid, forward-looking, and visionary candidates emerge to vie for the February 2023 presidential elections.”
“These are boxes we have created for the next President of Nigeria to tick. After an intensive search, we have found a man who ticks almost all the boxes.
“He is, fortunately, one of the leaders of your party, the PDP. He is Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, CON, a former President of the Nigerian Senate, former Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, former Governor of Kwara State, former Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on Budget Matters, former Executive Vice Chairman of Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria, former members of the Vision 2020 Committee and a consummate friend of the Nigerian youths.
“We believe Dr. Saraki will lead Nigeria out of the current multi-dimensional crises. He will make the country great,” Danmusa added.
On his part, Bukola Saraki heaped praises on the group for their effort in raising money to buy the forms for him, saying he has received courage as a result of the group’s gesture.
Saraki promised that his cabinet would be made up of youths if elected president.
Saraki said, “What you have done is a symbolic message that you are mandating me to go out to the field and work hard among all our leaders, delegates, and other stakeholders to win the PDP presidential ticket come May as well as subsequently follow up with decisive victory in the general elections in February 2023.
“Your charge to me is to go there and make all Nigerians – young and old, northerners and southerners, Muslims, Christians, and people of other religions, operators in the private and public sectors, and members of different political parties – to join hands and fix Nigeria. With your action today, I do not have an option but to listen to the voice of the youths who represent 62 percent of the over 200 million Nigerians.
“That is why I want to promise that If I become the President of Nigeria, all positions of Ministers of State in the cabinet will be occupied by youths. This is a promise that I will not fail because I believe the ideas of the youths are needed to drive modern development efforts. And you know from my record that I have the boldness to implement this promise.”
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