The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has expressed worry over his chances of becoming the next president.
Tinubu who is arguably the most controversial presidential aspirant, followed by his Kogi State counterpart, Governor Yahaya Bello, has said it has become clear to him, that achieving his ambition of succeeding Buhari as president come 2023, won’t come cheap as more and more big names keep joining the race.
Until now, there were speculations that Tinubu will emerge as a consensus candidate for the ruling party, a gesture premised on the roles he played in getting the party into power in 2015.
There was also the belief that the emergence of Buhari as the APC presidential candidate prior to the 2015 presidential election, was as a result of a deal that would see Tinubu sacrifice his own ambition at the time.
In view of these, pro-Tinubu groups and a section of the party, has been calling on Buhari and the APC to keep its part of the bargain by giving Tinubu an automatic ticket to represent the party in the next election. But from the look of things, the APC doesn’t seem to be heading in that direction, leaving Tinubu to have to battle it out with other aspirants for the sole ticket.
Knowing the challenges ahead, Tinubu while addressing journalists after a closed-doors meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, said while his ambition may be threatened, leaving the field open, and having more presidential aspirants was in the best interest of Nigeria.
“The more they come, the more challenging it becomes for you,” he said on the growing number of aspirants in the APC.
“It’s all about service, it’s nothing else. Think wisely, get committed to your thinking to serve the nation and bring progress and prosperity to the lives of Nigerians.
“It’s good for the country for so many of us to aspire to want to lead, we’re not abandoning our nation. But there’s only one chair and one possibility. We will do that,” he added.
Meanwhile, Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, who himself has expressed interest in the presidency, has said his decision to run for the presidency has nothing to do with betraying Tinubu, but about serving the country.
Fayemi who stated this while featuring on Channels Television last night, said the office of the President is not an inheritance, hence, he did not betray Tinubu by joining the race for the Presidency.
He said, “The Asiwaju that I know and have interacted with will not subscribe to demonising anyone. I don’t believe that he would use terminologies like betrayal, this is not an inheritance; it is not a traditional title that we are seeking.
“The office that we are seeking is to make a difference in the lives of Nigerians. It is about Nigeria which is the commonwealth of all Nigerians.”
(OBSERVERSTIMES)
