Peter Obi says southeast leaders are now solidly behind PDP decision to field him as vice president

PEOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) vice presidential candidate Peter Obi has revealed that southeastern leaders are now solidly behind him as they agree that something drastic needs to be done to develop the geo-political zone.

Last week, PDP presidential candidate, former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, picked former Anambra State Governor Obi as his running mate. However, the choice did not go down well with some Igbo leaders, especially the governors of the, who claimed that they were not consulted before the decision was made.

Ebonyi State governor Davis Umahi, who serves as the chairman of the South East Governors Forum, was particularly incensed about the fact that they learnt about the decision on social media after it was announced. He was also displeased about the fact that no Ebonyi citizen was on the original shortlist of five candidates considered for the job.

Currently visiting the southeast, Governor Obi has been to Enugu and Abia states to converse with Igbo leaders including Ike Ekweremmadu, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Theodore Orji and Sam Egwu. He also recently visited the scene of a pipeline fire that killed scores of residents of Umuimo and Umuadoro communities in Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area of Abia State alongside Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

Governor Obi said: “For us, what is important is to rebuild the southeast and to rebuild Nigeria, so what we need is to talk about how to create jobs and how to make Nigeria better for the citizens. Let me thank Governor Ikpeazu for what he is doing as governance is about the people feeling you and is about moving around, seeing it for yourself.

“When we came this morning, he could have said well, listen I am busy and stayed back in his office but he came around with us and he has been to those places. He has listened to the people and I assure you that whatever he said today he will do will be practicalised, so it is not a question of wishing, we are all working as a team.

Senator Abaribe added that the southeast caucus in the National Assembly had always been in support of Peter Obi’s emergence as the PDP vice presidential candidate. He added that the nation at this time needed men and women whose words could be their bond and who would understand the challenges of the country.

“Today, what we have is a man who we can queue behind. A man who can make sure that Nigerians are rescued from where they are today, in despondency,” Senator Abaribe said.