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From Joseph Obukata, Warri
As politicking over who becomes the running mate of PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar intensifies, the Southern Nigeria Liberation Movement (SNLM) has urged the former vice president to pick the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro, as his running mate.
The group, in a statement by its spokesman, Dr Chris Ogbaide, yesterday, said that Atiku should look beyond friendship and political promises in picking his running mate.
Ogbaide maintained that taking into account the complexity of the Nigerian composition, those who must be in the helm of affairs must not be power-hungry politicians or ethnic bigots who will stop at nothing to get power for personal aggrandisement.
He said that since Atiku was elected as the People’s Democratic Party’s flag bearer for the 2023 Presidential election, different shades of politicians all over the southern part of the country, particularly governors, have now started scrambling to be his running mate.
Ogbaide contended that most of those governors scrambling for the position of being the running mate are ‘political jostlers’ who may metamorphose into a liability when their services is seriously needed.
While admitting that political party plays a vital role in the nomination process for running mate, he said however that Atiku has the right to pick a person who he thinks fit; ‘a person who will be loyal, selfless, of proven character, competent and will be committed to serving Nigeria.
“Our position is anchored on the need to unite the Country for optimal democratic gain as well as security of lives and property and not also forgetting the importance of securing our critical national assets which undoubtedly are the life-wire that sustains Nigeria.
“This means that a credible, reliable, competent candidate to be the running mate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar must be someone who outside of his status as a credible, reliable, and competent person must also be loyal, selfless, of proven character and above all a person who can help to secure our national assets.
The group posited that such a person must also has a robust relationship with the local communities where these critical national assets are situated.
“A person who can enter anywhere and at anytime to interface with the host communities just as Prof Osinbajo did during the Niger Delta Avengers’ attacks on our critical national assets, through the instrumentality of the Advocacy Group Against Vandalization of Oil and Gas Installations ably led by the most dependable and reliable Deputy Governor of Delta State, HE (Dcn) Kingsley Burutu Otuaro; a person who will bring his wealth of experience to the fore in helping Alhaji Atiku’s administration to succeed; a person who will not be a clog to the smooth running of the wheel of state, etc.
“Our humble appeal is that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar should not rush into picking a running mate but carefully and critically do a comprehensive finding to get a befitting candidate who will help his administration to succeed rather than some of these egoistic and ethnocentric governors whose stock in trade is to bear the appellation of Vice President without any significance to the overall well-being of our dear country, Nigeria.”
