2023: Top politicians, opinion leaders meet on mission to rescue Nigeria

Top politicians, including several incumbent state governors and their predecessors with opinion leaders have begun moves aimed to rescue Nigeria ahead of the 2023 general elections.

About 100 of such prominent leaders cutting across political parties and economic sectors are said to have held an inaugural meeting in Lagos.

Indeed, Punch on Wednesday reported the leaders including 14 current governors, 13 ex-governors and three former Senate Presidents attended the Lagos meeting to map a new consensus for national rebirth.

The leaders who met under the aegis of ‘The 2022 Committee’, said Nigeria must be secured, peaceful and united before the nation could have candidates for political offices in 2023.

A statement released on Wednesday and co-signed on behalf of the conveners by ThisDay Newspapers Publisher, Nduka Obaigbena, and a Borno-born politician and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, said the leaders met from February 4 to 6, 2022.

The Punch’s report gave some of the participant as a former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, former Senate President and Secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria, Anyim Pius Anyim, who is also a PDP presidential aspirant; ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki, also a PDP presidential aspirant; former Governor of Imo State; Ikedi Ohakim, former Governor of Cross Rivers State, Donald Duke and former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Senator Iyiola Omisore.

In the statement released on Wednesday, Obaigbena and Ibrahim-Imam said the leaders worked in three sub-committees of national security, the economy and Nigeria in transition, noting that “the participants recognised that there is an urgent need to seek common ground and irreducible minimum actions to stabilise the polity at this critical time of transition.”

The statement was titled, ‘Eminent Business, Political, Society and Thought Leaders Meet in Lagos to Build Consensus for National Rebirth’.

It partly read, “The meetings will continue, as we work with Federal and State Governments, current and future political leaders of all political persuasions, as well as other eminent patriotic citizens, for the greater good of the Nigerian people.

“Whilst the 2022 committee is interested in the quality of leadership that will emerge in Nigeria at all levels, we consider attempts to link the Committee with candidates or political parties for the 2023 elections as an unwarranted and unnecessary distraction – candidates are only chosen by political parties and we are not a political party.

“All the 100 leading lights of the 2022 Committee have the capacity for national leadership; indeed, amongst the very active participants in the work of the Committee are over 7 persons, from 3 or more political parties, who have already publicly declared their aspiration to lead the country but are desirous of working with other patriots for non-partisan greater national goals. We must have a secure, peaceful and united nation before we can have candidates for political offices.

“The committee believes that what Nigeria needs today is for all patriots to come together to rescue our nation from all political, economic and security threats, and promote the unity of Nigeria. We call on all patriotic volunteers, who are willing and able, to join this collective effort to stabilise the system so we can all build a new Nigeria we can all be proud of.”