The former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki; Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, and Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, have taken their consultations for the 2023 presidential race to former Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, at his Hilltop residence in Minna, Niger State.
General Babangida, hosting the three presidential aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Saraki on a joint courtesy visit, urged those aspiring for the presidency to put Nigeria above other interests in everything they do.
IBB had started vividly: “Your belief in having a better Nigeria featured very prominently. You made my day. What you talked about is Nigeria, Nigeria, Nigeria.
“I want you to keep it up, for the benefit of this country and generations yet unborn. What you are doing is good, this is how the country should develop.”
The retired General assured them of his support, noting, “so long as you stay on the course of promoting Nigeria all the time, making it a secure country”.
Saraki had earlier hinted that they were in Minna in continuation of their consultation with elder statesmen in the country. According to him, the visit to Minna was to brief IBB of their efforts toward nominating a consensus candidate for the PDP in the 2023 presidential election. He noted that the visit was embarked “as part of our consultations; going round the country talking to our elders and stakeholders”.
Saraki narrated: “We took him through what we are doing. This is part of what we call solution providing. We are trying to provide a solution to the political process because we want to ensure that it is smooth, it is not rancorous and it leads to a better Nigeria at the end of the day.
“It is out of our desire to make a better Nigeria that those of us who are aspiring to be president came together that we must find a way of having a consensus so that we can reduce the number and ensure that we have a candidate who is competent who has the support of everybody.”
He emphasized that they need the wise counsel of General Babangida and other leaders to achieve their goal.