Ben Ogbemudia, Abuja

The Governor of Bauchi state, Bala Mohammed on Wednesday cleared the doubt surrounding former Goodluck Jonathan contesting again president in 2023, saying up to this moment, he has not made up his mind.

The former minister of the Federal Capital Territory cleared this doubt in an interactive session with former ministers at Transco Hilltop, Abuja.

“I was even thinking that my chairman is going out and I was begging him not to come because I will leave it for him. And you remember I told you all that if our boss, President Jonathan is running I will not run not because I’m inferior but because of loyalty. I came to the national limelight through him and I believe he has done so much. And I said that in any party, even if he’s running in APGA or anywhere I will not run because I will not be joining issues with him.

“But sadly I am PDP, I’m not going anywhere. The time has come when I should step out, and that’s why I’m starting with you. And even then I said What is it, is it about personal interests? Or ambition? No. It’s about rescuing Nigeria.

” And some of my colleagues from the North who first indicated their interest I said come let’s meet in Bauchi. Let’s discuss the issue of coming together, a consensus. If anyone of you, Taminu Turaki, or Aminu Tambuwal are given the opportunity I know you can do as much as I can.

“It is not just about me trying to be there let us reduce acrimony, division, and rancor and we go to another combat. At that time you remember, most of the aspirants were from the North. We’re not doing a regional thing. You know where I’m coming from. I spoke for the south, at the time, nobody could speak about it and that is what brought me here. I cannot be a regionalist or a sectional person. So we have agreed now within ourselves for consensus, but this is even going beyond us. We have reached out to all the aspirants and the governors in this house because it’s about getting the best, it is about deemphasizing zoning, sectional sectionalism, and so on and so forth.

“And of course, I have to say this for you to understand, because as cabinet members, we are all detribalized. Yes, we have our micro constituency interests but sadly my aspiration is not inimical to any sectional or insensitive to the aspiration of other sections of the country. They are free to do it and when they emerge, I’m ready to support them. 100%. I’m a Democrat.

The former Senator and now Governor of Bauchi state said, ” As I said, this country is passing a moment that we have to really pause and do a lot and we need ourselves. We need this forum. We need all the resources persons in this country. APC has destroyed everything they are moving toward self-annihilation.

You can see them copying us even at our convention. The way we did our zoning and transfers, even now the consensus they are beginning to read the idea and I want to say we should not take them for granted. They have done so many persons. They have deemed the economy. They have destroyed the country. They are more afraid of accountability than us.

Governor Bala Mohammed said they all stood their ground and faced them in the court or in EFCC and are daring them to do whatever they can do to persecute them if they have any evidence against them but said they cannot afford that.

“We know the prices of things. We know the destruction they have caused in this country and they are ready to come back at any given instance. And that’s why we should not give any room for division and rumble.

” Well, I cannot tell you better about the economy or bringing statistics in terms of our microeconomic situation, the macro picture, our GDP, our security, our economy, our bureaucracy, even our collective being. You know it better than I and not one person will be able to address this. That is why we have to come together.

“I am going to have a knowledge-driven administration to do away with an exclusion, with division and sectionalism. We must have the best lines of ourselves where we are, where we want to go, and how. We have to have a plan. Under Jonathan, we had a plan and we almost implemented everything. These people don’t have a plan and we cannot have a plan without you.

“So I’m just here to tell you that I am ready. I’m going to meet the other organs of the party.

” But we are going to have a knowledge-driven presidency. We are not going to be borrowing recklessly. We have done it in the FCT and I’m doing it in Bauchi., leveraging on small resources and doing much, having the correct procurement process and managing scarcity was sagacity. The audacity of knowledge of using the best, not looking at China as if it is a free fall for resources, the resources are here in Nigeria, where my vision or our vision can do it. All these monies were taking is going into private pockets.

” Our solid minerals have not been exploited, even our oil resources that we are dependent on are being plundered, everybody knows that and we have to find a solution. And we have destroyed ourselves by creating perceptions outside we the elites, causing ourselves a lot of injuries. Name-calling in the name of investigation, an investigation that is selfish and skewed towards just pursuing perceived political enemies.

“We will do justice and equity in this country. We will open up and become accessible. We will access our resources in this country very well. We have to dip M and E in a manner that will know what is going on everywhere in the MDAs, we will not just sit in the Oval Office and be wearing beautiful shoes and good caps, we will have to come out and supervise.

“I must thank Allah, our creator for bringing me here within the midst of my own, my own constituency with some of our leaders that were there before and we never knew that we’ll be able to minister well the way they were ministering. But by His grace, we stepped into their shoes. And we’re all here. A pleasant amalgam of human capital can be found in the most populous black nation, Nigeria. In this room, is the institutionalization of our memories, good and bad, of what we have done and what we have not done.

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“My colleagues, I’m here not to flatter you but to tell you that I am one of you. Some of us have been persecuted innocently for doing nothing other than working but that is about accountability. We have to take responsibility. Always bear with us because we meant well and we did well. I cannot go out to the outside world and preach any gospel of leadership or management in this country before coming here because that was what we promise even when we were going out, and that’s the basis of this forum.

“I’m not happy that there have been some disconnections, but certainly I must praise the leadership for keeping the forum together, that it is even possible for us to come back and we can see how it has increased and developed.

I’m here to say that I’m stepping out on your behalf, on behalf of Nigerians to seek the leadership of this country. Not because I’m the best. I am not the best.

The best may be here but they are not ready to step out. The best may be outside. The best is a conglomeration of ideas and persons in Nigerians with a similar vision, to me and you so that we can rescue this nation.

“The nation is no longer there as we left it. The nation is in pieces. There are names Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Itsekiri anything within the context of Nigeria, but Nigeria is no longer there under APC.

” They have destroyed everything. Our focus on making Nigeria first should be started here because this is where you have people with the knowledge, modesty, and understanding of the country.

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“First we must understand the country. Where are we and how have we come here? Why is the country so divided? Why is insecurity everywhere? What is the fate of the elites in this country for which we are members? We know we cannot continue the blame game. We cannot continue to talk about sections or zones.

We must talk about leadership, and closing rank men coming together to rescue the country. There is poverty everywhere. There is insecurity everywhere. Even the human capital to manage the country is no longer nepotism has taken over everything. There is no nationalism, no patriotism but families and connivance here and there.

“On your behalf. I have been doing a lot as much as I can to make sure that we close rank we come together. I have handled several assignments on your behalf and I know what this forum has done over the years, the emergence and the sustenance of the party, the stabilization of the party, even though they always say this is not a recognized organ of the party.

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“The recognition by aspirants is not coming just like that. It is because you earn it You deserve it. You are opinion molders and of course, you are influencers in politics. Whoever ignores you, he ignores you at his own peril because even if you are not a delegate, you have several delegates under you.

“And that brings me to the issue of my candidature. I will do it and you will remember I came here a while ago before I even muted the idea and took up the permission, the main permission to go out.”