*We’ll go extra-mile to actualize your ambition, says Speaker Odoh

By Tony Edike
MEMBERS of Enugu State House of Assembly, Friday endorsed the presidential bid of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar saying he (Atiku) remains the most experienced among all the contestants for the presidential seat.

Receiving Atiku and members of his campaign team at the Legislative Chamber of the State Assembly, Speaker of the House, Eugene Odoh specifically assured Atiku that the lawmakers who are statutory delegates to the January 13 PDP presidential primary would go extra-mile to ensure his success in the election.

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar during the visit reiterated his support for the emergence of an Igbo man as the president of the country by 2015, insisting that that was the only way of ending the civil war.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues during the special session held in honour of Atiku, Speaker of the House, Odoh said: “Enugu Assembly will go extra length to show full support to the cause which has brought you to the House of Assembly today. You are the most experienced of all aspirants in the race having experienced presidency for eight years. What you have told us today are facts and when we heard of your visit, we decided to turn out in our numbers to receive you. We have been humbled by your wordings, our President-to-be and by the grace of God, you will be there.

“We heard you one-on-one and it is my hope that we’ll vote according to our conscience. The Igbo man has conscience and having suffered for this great country, we will not let you down. Members of this House of Assembly are courageous. This is one of the Houses that voted for the autonomy of the legislature and we know the right thing to do.”

Odoh’s remarks were intermittently punctuated by praise songs from the legislators who all turned out to receive the former Vice President.

Addressing the lawmakers earlier, Atiku Abubakar said he was committed to a point of passion to ensuring that the south east produced the president by 2015, saying “I’ve made this commitment in the past. Ben Obi was my running-mate when I took refuge in the Action Congress. Northern leaders Political Forum and Igbo Political Forum have reached an agreement to ensure that by 2015, the presidency comes back to south east.

“Its not a joke; it affects you and the generation yet unborn. It’s a way to make every part of Nigeria an integral part of this nation,” Atiku said, describing the PDP as the nation’s unifying factor in the ongoing political dispensation having won elections in every zone of the country since 1999.

The PDP presidential aspirant also used the opportunity to reel out his people-oriented programmes for Nigerians if elected as the next president of the country. Some of the programme spans through security, health, education, youth empowerment among others.