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Atiku/Okowa ticket ‘ll restore Nigeria- Obire

By Maria Udofia

.......Friday, July 29

Former senior legislative aide to the deputy senate president, federal republic of Nigeria & current senior special assistant on "political" to the delta state governor.

Chief Godwin Obire, from Agbarho Orhokpokpo has urged Nigerians to eschew sentiments in next year’s general elections.

Obire, a chieftain of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), said that, if Atiku/Okowa ticket succeeds, the duo will restore Nigeria.

The human right activist, who is also the national coordinator of Concern Nigerians For Better Nigeria (CNBN) Group told reporters in Asaba, the state capital, that the medical doctor/current governor of Delta state and the former vice president of Nigeria will provide quality leadership.

He added: “We have now removed religion. Let us look at the candidate, assess their character, their capacity, their ability to fight issues that are important. This is not about sentiment; it is about Nigeria, it is not personal.

“Atiku/Okowa are people that want to restore Nigeria. These are not individuals that are going there to make a mess of themselves; they are going there to restore and make Nigeria better.

“Now, the difference between the PDP and the APC is clear in the way we conducted our primaries, the way we picked our candidates and the way they emerged. The APC don't have respect or regards for christianity

"They had wanted these elections to be about religion. Now, there is no religious issue in PDP. The PDP has a Christian and Muslim on its ticket. The APC has a Muslim and a Muslim on their ticket without taking Christianity into consideration”

Obire said the emergence of the PDP presidential and vice presidential candidates showed that the PDP is better than the APC. He said the APC prediction that the PDP will break cannot come to fulfilment.

The senior special assistant on political matters added: “When it came to the issue of vice president, you all saw again what transpired.The sensitivity of issues of like religion, give and take and integrity were the factors that played the key role.

“If it was about self ambition and capacity of financial resources you know who would have been the vice president, but these are people who are ready to make that sacrifice. Truly, the PDP is showing that it is an amalgam of people that can make sacrifices. It is a party that really wants to move Nigeria forward.

“That the party cannot go to a convention or primaries without collapsing; that there will be no unity etc, you all saw democracy at it best; you all saw in the primary how delegates came out in drove to vote. The primary was very transparent and everybody that participated accepted the outcome of the result and those that lost also gallantly approved and recommended and gave their support to the winner.

“The party shows unity. It shows, it's not a party of selfish individuals but a party with people that have the mission to save Nigeria. The presidential primary witnessed internal democracy at its best.

“You saw what happened at the state primaries across the country. In APC, where there were parallel congresses, parallel results and parallel result sheets. In some places, we have three or four results sheets.

“For some of us who used to be in the APC we were stunned at what happened that in some states they had two to three congresses and up till now some are still in court disputing the results