By Ben Ogbemudia
Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, yesterday officially declared his reasons for intending to contest in the 2023 presidential election.
According to him, Nigerians must not be despaired, but rise up collectively in choosing the right leader for the country during the 2023 presidential election.
The former Kwara State governor stated this at his presidential media parley in Abuja yesterday.
He said, “This is not the time to surrender while in despair. We must rise above the division that keeps us apart.
“This is the moment we must put everything apart to save the country. This is not the country we want nor the country our founding fathers envisioned.”
He added that he will invest in skills acquisition for youths, ensure all security personnel are well remunerated, tackle insecurity, and provide favorable healthcare packages for Nigerians among others.
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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant also promised to develop policies that will keep professionals in the country and prevent brain drain.
“I know how business and government work. I know how the legislature operates. I represent a Nigerian identity that is truly diverse. I’ll be the needed bridge the country yearns for,” the presidential aspirant said.
Saraki also said his ‘portfolio of experience’ as governor and at the highest legislative institution of this country has made him a unique asset in democratic leadership at a time that calls for consensus-building, cooperation, and compromise in Nigeria.
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“Perhaps, more importantly, I have gone into each of these positions with clearly thought-out plans, decided well in advance. Working with some of the best brains around, I took my time to study situations, decide on what to do, and agree on the best implementation strategies,” he said.
The presidential aspirant added, “I never muddled through. On every occasion, I have had to break through the walls of doubts and cynicism from those who thought that it could not be done; those who thought that the odds were too stacked against us, and we wouldn’t stand a chance.
“But each time, we were able to prove them wrong, because we had the courage of conviction and we had God on our side.
“The stake has never been higher for our country. This is the moment that we must put in everything we have to save this nation, because what we have today is not our country. This certainly, is not the Nigeria of the dreams of our founding fathers, and those who came after them.
“Join hands with me, let’s go fix Nigeria. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
