Bauchi Governor Under PDP Umbrella Expresses Readiness to Collaborate With Peter Obi of LP to Strengthen Opposition Politics in Nigeria

Israel Adeleke

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA OTN News reports that amid hunger, unemployment, and insecurity in the country, the Bauchi state governor and chairman of the peoples democratic party governors’ forum, Bala Mohammed, has expressed his readiness to collaborate with labour party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to strengthen opposition politics in nigeria.

OTN News further reports that the PDP's governor forum chairman, who disclosed this while speaking on thursday after a closed-door meeting with obi at the government house, bauchi, said that both he and the PDP admired obi’s political style and vision for the country.

According to him “we have a lot of respect and admiration for him because of his style of politics, his statesmanship, his versatile nature, and his deep knowledge of the economy and governance."

Furthermore, he said, “peter obi has a clear vision of where politics and politicians should be in terms of bringing good governance, impacting the people, and uniting the country. it is always a delight to listen to him because of his deep knowledge and mastery of statistics.”

The governor who also revealed that his meeting with obi was not the first, as they had met previously in abuja, further disclosed that their discussions covered a range of national issues, including political challenges in rivers state and the state of the opposition in nigeria.

He said, “i appreciate what he is doing as a leader of the opposition because, whether we like it or not, he is now the face of opposition politics in nigeria."

OTN News observes that mohammed also stressed his commitment to working with obi to “close ranks” and provide a strong and knowledgeable opposition to the ruling party.

He stated, “i want to say clearly that i am ready to work with peter obi. we must come together to bring good governance, offer a vibrant opposition with vision and strategy, and rescue this country from mediocrities parading themselves as leaders.

“the time has come for us to step out and act with sincerity and focus. our coming together is a message, and this message will resonate because my fellow governors support this kind of alliance.”

Meanwhile, Obi who spoke earlier said his visit to mohammed was part of wider consultations aimed at addressing nigeria’s current challenges.

According to him, “nigerians may wonder why i am here, but i have come to consult with him because he is a critical stakeholder in nigerian politics."

Obi noted that the state of the nation required him to seek discussions with key leaders, particularly from the north, adding, “all of you know where we are today as a country. we must talk about the issues affecting the north because the north is a critical component in getting nigeria on the right path."

OTN News who further observes that Obi who emphasised that tackling poverty was key to addressing insecurity, explained, “when people talk about criminality in nigeria, especially in the north, I tell them the real issue is poverty. until we address poverty, we cannot solve criminality,” he asserted.

according to obi, nigeria must invest in education and agriculture to lift millions out of poverty and reduce crime.

“but look at what dominates our political discourse today—budget padding, sexual harassment—while nigerians are hungry. we need to discuss hunger, poverty, education, and healthcare,” he added.

obi however, concluded by stating that his discussions with mohammed were just beginning and that he hoped to continue engagements on the future of nigeria.