Former Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Makarfi has said Nigerians will be disappointed if the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fails to win the 2023 presidential election.
He spoke yesterday in Kaduna when Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike visited him.
Wike had told his host that Nigeria as a country is bleeding under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and called on the citizenry to be united and do everything possible to ensure that the APC is pushed out of power next year.
In his response to Wike’s speech, Makarfi who was the chairman of the PDP Caretaker Committee when it went through a leadership turbulence, said without the solid support Wike gave him, there would not have been PDP today, adding that “we played our role, but he (Wike) played a key role”.
He commended Governor Wike for his role towards the successful convention of the party, adding that “there were a lot of differences but at the end of the day, we came out as one strong PDP family and put our adversaries to shame and it is what they can never do.
“I absolutely believe that with the same energy and perseverance we can do it again. If there is no party what is the point of your ticket; therefore, we have to build the party first, we have to be united and when a consensus is decided, we should all have one voice.
“I agree with you that we will be disappointing Nigerians if we do not come together and take over power to recover Nigeria for Nigerians. We will not rest on our oars until we see the PDP in the overwhelming majority of states in power and nationally,” he stressed.
Earlier, Wike called on members of the PDP to unite and take over power in 2023, adding that, “the country is bleeding under the APC and the PDP must rise to the rescue in 2023.
On the purpose of his visit, Wike said, “I called our leader to know if he was back from London because I am aware that he travelled out of the country for some months for health issues. When he came back, he said he would come and see me in Abuja but I said I would come to Kaduna to see him. I thought it was a quiet visit just to find out how he was after his hospital visit but I am overwhelmed with what I saw. I did not come here for politics, I came here to see somebody who has contributed his own quota to the party, the growth of the party today and if anything happens to him, it happens to all of us in the party and I know what Kaduna will suffer for it.
“We thank God that in His infinite mercy that he (Makarfi) has recovered very well. I did not know Senator Makarfi until he became chairman of the party, when I saw him, I did not know him, not that I did not know who Senator Makarfi was, but we were not as close, we got close when he became chairman, that is when you know that you cannot buy leadership, leadership is given by God, that is when you know who has leadership qualities when a party is in crisis,” he said.