Rev Chris Okotie, the General Overseer of Household of God Church, on Saturday emerged the flag bearer of the Fresh Democratic Party (FRESH) for the 2019 Presidential election.
He was elected unopposed when the second contestant, James Pam from Plateau State, stepped down for him at the party’s presidential primary held at the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja, Lagos.
His emergence was through direct primaries attended by hundreds of the party’s delegates from all the states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
In his acceptance speech, Okotie went down memory lane to the beginning of his political adventure some 16 years ago. He stressed the need for a generational power shift and the necessity for the political class to think of the people first.
He also recalled his recent letters to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership, seeking their endorsement in his quest to set up an interim government of National Reconciliation and Reconstruction, which he described as “the most realistic way to re-engineer the political system and give the country a new direction.”
READ ALSO: Benue guber: Ortom, six others jostle for PDP ticket
The Presidential aspirant who said he was not out to condemn other political actors, however, expressed the need for a paradigm shift in the governing process if Nigeria was to make a head way.
Seven governorship candidates of the party from Jigawa, Ogun , Kano, Plateau, Kastina, Imo and Akwa Ibom states were also in attendance and formally received their flags from Rev Okotie who also doubles as the party’s National Chairman.
The primary was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr Adekunle Ogunmola, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in charge of Ogun, Lagos and Ondo, and Mrs Nkechi Abu.
He proposed what he called the Aboriginal Democracy, a home- grown initiative, which he said could bring permanent peace to Nigeria.
