The embattled presidential candidate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu, said he is not scared to engage in open discussion with rival candidates from other political parties.
Kachikwu spoke at a ‘town hall’ on the “State of the Nation” topic on Sunday in Abuja.
He said that interactive sessions allowed him the chance to discuss his points of contention as the most respectable candidate for the president in 2023.
“Today’s town hall is one in a series of town halls I have planned across the country before we go to the polls next year.
“Interactive sessions like this afford me an opportunity to present my argument for a Dumebi Kachikwu presidency.
“I get to take questions from you on issues affecting us all and most importantly get feedback on what we can collectively do to rescue our nation.
“So I look forward to many of such meetings with electorate and I’m not afraid to participate in a debate with other contenders,” he said.
Kachikwu claimed that his choice to run for the nation’s top job was not a spur-of-the-moment one but rather one influenced by the very core of his being.
He asserted that it is the only logical step for someone who has dedicated his whole adult life to developing and outlining options for improving Nigeria to reach out to those who have overseen our collective wellbeing.
“I now realise that I must be in the driver’s seat to make the changes needed in Aso Villa. I now understand that merely proposing and complaining are not enough.
“It is time to sit on this table; it is a table of inequity, injustice, iniquity and intolerance but when you sit at the head of the table you get to decide what the menu is going to be.
“This is the seat I seek to occupy so that together we can chart a new course for our nation,” he said.
He invited Nigerians to join him in creating a new Nigeria that will be inclusive of all people and provide equal rights and expression for everyone, regardless of tribe, tongue, or religion.
Kachikwu stated that eliminating the colonial remnants of hostility, distrust, and division was a key component of his vision for Nigeria.
He declared that he would defend Nigeria against those who made religion and tribe their guiding principles.
“We will zone out all proponents of zoning and usher in a Nigeria that promotes merit, character and know-how above primordial sentiments.
“Every component part of Nigeria is blessed with those who have the talents and abilities to pilot the affairs of Nigeria and we must create the enabling environment for them to emerge in government and governance.
“Nigeria will no longer be associated with mediocrity as we will invest in our citizens, our greatest asset,” he said.
He urged the electorate to support ADC, saying that, despite lacking the organisational structures of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), ADC was confident of winning the election using the electorate’s structure.
Dumebi Kachikwu is purported to have been expelled from ADC.
In a statement, issued by the party’s chairman, Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu, on September 16, Kachikwu and seven others were expelled for gross misconduct and antiparty activities.
This, however, may not have affected the candidacy of Kachikwu as Section 33 of the 2022 Electoral Act says that “a political party shall not be allowed to change or substitute its candidate whose name has been submitted under section 29 of this Act, except in the case of death or withdrawal by the candidate.”
