2023: With unity, you can defeat APC, US based physician tells PDP elders

By Tunde Opalana

As the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rallies support of Nigerians to dislodge the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration at the polls in 2023, an appeal has gone to leaders of the party to strive towards uniting all stakeholders and members.

A United States of America based Professor of Medicine , Prof. Emeka Umerah cautioned the party against infighting, rancour and disunity, stressing that the opposition party can only defeat APC in 2023 if it is united and rally round it’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

While he congratulated the party over the emergence of Atiku at the PDP presidential primary, he warned that the soaring popularity of Atiku can only transform to victory if leaders and members are on same page and saddled with a sole responsibility of wresting power from APC in next year’s election.

Prof. Umerah gave this advise in Abuja on Saturday while delivering a keynote address at an award ceremony by the Diamond Ladies in Politics where he paid glowing tribute to Atiku Abubakar.

He commended the former vice president over the role he played in the truncation of the alleged third term agenda of former president Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007 saying but for the intervention of Atiku, Nigeria would have eventually returned to the era of the dark days of military dictatorship and tyrannical rule.

Acknowledging the role played by Atiku to revamp the economy during the Obasanjo administration, he said it behooves the electorates to elect Atiku Abubakar to address the economic and worsening security challenges in the country.

He thereby enjoined aggrieved stalwarts of the PDP to put their differences aside and work in concert to ensure the defeat of the APC at the presidential poll.

Dissecting the multi – various challenges facing the nation, he said “It is now audible to the deaf and visible to the blind, the growing spate of insecurity in Nigeria. Our security challenges have now grown beyond the hitherto known activities of dissident Boko Haram terrorists. It is now as a matter of fact, hydra-headed- banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder clashes, livestock rustling, separatist agitations, religious-related killings among others. These have threatened the country’s farming belt and now worsening the food insecurity problem that we have been plagued with since especially the past six years.

“Research has shown the fiscal effects of insecurity on the Nigerian economy. Economic analysts and available research have blamed the escalating level of insecurity for the loss of over N1.4 billion to N1.6 billion in business and commercial assets between 2015 and 2018. Daily oil production which has remained the mainstay of our economy has also declined from 2.2 million to 1.5 million barrels per day in 2018.

” The literal interpretation of all of these is that it has resulted in low government revenue generation. That is why some of the Governors are threatening that they may not pay salaries if the trend continues. On the part of the direct masses who always bear the brunt, rising poverty, inequality, and inadequacy of employment opportunities, particularly among the youths are at the centre of Nigeria’s insecurity problem.

“Economic pundits have therefore observed that “increased insecurity in Nigeria has coincided with rising poverty levels, with an estimated 83 million people which is nearly 40% of the total population, living in extreme poverty (less than $2 per day) as at April 2022. This is a whopping 18% increase from 70 million people recorded in 2016.”

He raised hope that an Atiku presidency come 2023 can address the many challenges the country battles currently.

Prof. Umerah said “there is no gainsay the fact that the challenges facing our beloved nation, Nigeria have become multifarious and more hydra-headed than it was even during our historic return to the fourth democratic republic in 1999.

“Only Atiku, who understands even better, the economic implications of the debilitating security situation in the country right at this worst moment, has the moral courage and mental capacity to fix the security challenges facing the country.

“And while not shying away from the very sincere fact that the now opposition, People’s Democratic Party, PDP failed to at least consolidate on the gains and institutional reforms began by the Obasanjo/Atiku Presidency, we cannot also ignore the more accurate fact that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC has exacerbated the problem in the past over years it has held sway.

“Even when the APC promised to fight corruption, the end results is that corruption has rather become more official under Buhari’s watch. The Boko Haram it vowed to end in 2015 have birthed multiple sister security threats that are now even becoming more dangerous like banditry, ISWAP and large scale kidnappings for ransom.

“As a matter of fact, their leaders who should squarely be prosecuted for crimes against humanity like Atiku has been echoing are now even receiving Chieftaincy coronations. All these have accentuated the call for a new leadership breed that can fix the country and get Nigeria working again.

“This is why pundits remain firm in their analysis that it is either Nigeria braces up to elect a bold, courageous, decisive, formidable and unifying leader- attributes that has been tested and can only be seen in an Atiku Abubakar, it may not make progress.

“We all recall the tenacity and doggedness with which he fought against his boss’ third term agenda, not for anything but more to his firm believe that things must be done right and well even if it means falling out with certain individuals for the collective will of the masses to prevail.

” The Atiku belief in the Nigeria unity is so vehement that friends, allies, associates and even opponents will not fail but always acknowledge it.

“Therefore, the challenges facing Nigeria as a nation at this critical moment, particularly our economic quagmire finds a perfect answer in the Turaki character. Recall that he and his erstwhile boss, Obasanjo had kick-started many of the reforms that their successors have yet to consolidate on.

” One can justifiably counsel that Nigeria be returned therefore to the Atiku factory setting- the man who had one of the finest prognosis to our national issues and questions during his reign as a Vice President.

“This is why I and some other deeper analytical minds who have taken time to study him, vis-à-vis his antecedents, political progression and the challenges facing us as a nation believe strongly in his emergence as the PDP Presidential flag-bearer.

” The Party has put its best foot forward for the 2023 Presidential election and his choice of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa- an urbane and perfect gentleman as its Vice Presidential candidate in the 2023 Presidential election all puts an icing on the cake.”

Calling for unity among leaders, he said “what is left is for the leaders of the Party to put its house in order and work in unity of mind and purpose to achieve the seemingly herculean task before it- reclaiming the mandate and mantle of leadership from the ruling APC through the ballot.

” Good enough the electoral system which has tremendously improved is already shaping the events of things to come with the outcome of the recent Osun State Governorship election which the PDP trounced an incumbent ruling Party’s Governor.

“Atiku and the PDP leaders must continue with their fence-mending mission they know how to do best and seek to unify every member of the Party and even expand their coasts to woo more supporters and the electorates to their side.

“Hence the antecedents of Atiku are very well known, his campaign team must immediately get to work to market the product in a convincing manner to the already beleaguered Nigerian electorates.

” The PDP must therefore wear its thinking cap on strategy, strategy and strategy because as Alastair Campbell puts it in his Award winning book: Winners and How they succeed; “Strategy is God. That is why it has to come first in the holy trinity of Strategy, Leadership and Teamship”.

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He charged the Nigerian electorates to play its very active part in ensuring that the man with the proven competence and expertise succeeds in his effort to redirect this drifting ship to a safe harbor, DailyTimesNGR gathered.

Meanwhile, the Diamond Ladies in Politics at the occasion pledged to mobilise 2 million votes for Atiku.

It’s convener, Princess Maimunat Wada pledged while lamenting the appalling level of insecurity and the severe hardship being experienced by Nigerians, submitted that Atiku has the wherewithal to address the teething challenges besetting the country if he emerge victorious at the poll.

She noted: ” With Atiku Abubakar on the saddle of leadership of the country, there would be inclusiveness of Nigerians irrespective of their tribal and religious affiliations. Atiku choice of his running mate, His Excellency Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, his array of business partners, investments spread across the country and even the ethnic backgrounds of his spouses are clear testimony that he would be a true Nigerian president.