Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
Bauchi State governor, Bala Muhammed, on Wednesday, paid a visit to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital and declared that the zoning of presidency to the South by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), poses no threat to the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Muhammed, who spoke with newsmen shortly after meeting with Obasanjo, said the PDP would continue to strategize to rescue Nigeria from the present situation she found herself.
To him, the zoning of Presidency to the South by the APC “is not a threat to the PDP, because each party is trying to strategize, to plan and organise. If they zone to the South, it is open to us to see how it is going to give us more electoral victory or if we put it to the North it will give us more electoral victory.
“This is the kind of things we are doing; the leg works, the permutations and so and so forth. So that, at least, what ever we are going to do, is give us and provide for Nigerians to choose between the best alternatives”.
He described the former president  as a man with a lot of wisdom and an elder statesman per excellence, saying relationship between them dated way back.
 “We know that Baba is non-partisan; we know he’s an elder statesman per excellence. But, we are rebuilding our party to remove rancour, division and what-have-you. So, we still need him, because his words of wisdom are always very useful.
“So, I have come to sound his opinion on some the things going in the party, to close ranks and make sure that we provide Nigerians with the opportunity to rescue the country, from the present division going around which we have found ourselves, the Bauchi governor stated.
On his chances of getting the PDP’s presidential ticket to contest the 2023 election, Governor Muhammed said “to me, presidency is a consensus; a stakeholder and a statesmanship, responsibilities.  Of course, every Nigerian should try to contribute his or her quota to the growth and development of the nation.
“More so, when leadership recruitment should be based on merit, should be based on making sure that, we bring everybody on board and should not be based on manifestation of separatist, which are the instruments and the disgruntlement feelings that are capable of dividing us further.
“Nigeria is too large and too important to be ignored. Some of us have benefited so much. It is not about me and my expression, but about the country”.