Posted by By GEOFFERY ANYANWU, Awka on
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Umar Yar' Adua on Wednesday said that Prof. Wole Soyinka's attempt to incite Nigerians against him over President Olusegun Obasanjo's support of his candidacy, was unfortunate and against the majority opinion of Nigerians.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Umar Yar' Adua on Wednesday said that Prof. Wole Soyinka's attempt to incite Nigerians against him over President Olusegun Obasanjo's support of his candidacy, was unfortunate and against the majority opinion of Nigerians.
Soyinka was reported by national dailies to have said that any presidential aspirant supported by President Obasanjo should not be trusted.
Responding for the first time to the comment of the Nobel Laureate in Awka, Anambra State capital, Yar' Adua said that though democracy guaranteed everyone free opinion, the statement credited to Soyinka runs contrary to the people's opinions, which rated Obasanjo as one of the greatest Nigerian leaders.
Said he: "Everybody has an opinion. The vast majority of Nigerians believe that President Olusegun Obasanjo is a very trustworthy leader and he has done so much for this country. The vast majority of Nigerians and non-Nigerians believe that there is no single leader of Nigeria that has done for Nigeria what President Obasanjo has done for Nigeria in his lifetime.
"So, it's a matter of opinion. One good thing about democracy is that everybody has a right to his or her own opinion. You can air your opinion. People will agree. People will disagree. People must have their right to agree or to differ. That's the beauty of democracy."
The PDP standard bearer stated that his general agenda was to transform the lives of Nigerians.
Pressed to say what he would do for the South East, Yar'Adua insisted that the zone, as part of the country, would have no special agenda but would be accommodated in the nationwide programme.
He said: "South East is part of Nigeria. We want to transform the lives of Nigerians to march forward, so that we move towards prosperity, to increase peace and harmony and the eradication of poverty."
The PDP candidate expressed satisfaction with the outcome of his consultations with Anambra State leaders, adding that the PDP was ready to move the nation further to the promised land.