Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has dumped his presidential ambition ahead of 2023 general election on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
A Commissioner who is a well respected among his kitchen cabinet revealed that he has mellowed down his presidential ambition, seeing that there strong indications of APC zoning it’s presidency to the South.
Bello was further rattled by the recent avowed position of Southern Governors Forum to work against any political party that picks presidential candidate from any part of the north.
Speaking on way forward, the Commissioner who insisted to have his identity in wraps said, “we shall be strategising for vice presidency.”
Yahaya Bello made his presidential ambition known early enough, saying that Nigerians are asking him to contest the 2023 presidential election.
His ambition has attracted visits and courtesy calls on him in Lokoja, capital of Logo State and also his residence in Abuja by groups from various sectors as well as footballers and those in entertainment industry.
The Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon. Mathew Kolawole and some members of the State Assembly have constituted themselves into lobby group and toured to various States to meet their counterparts to lobby for Bello.
Meanwhile, the governor has repeatedly insisted that zoning was unconstitutional and the APC has never agreed on zoning of presidency, besides, he was of the view that the North Central Nigeria should be given opportunity to preside over the affairs of the nation.
He once said at different fora: “The youths and women and all Nigerians, including very objective elite, are asking me to run for president in 2023. And I believe that it is high time that we looked into capacity — who can do the job? Who is going to unify this country? And I think they are seeing something in me that they are asking me to come and unite and fix this country,” he said.
The source said, the latest development hasn’t been pronounced yet, but activities have been toned down. Request from various groups for visits that passed through his Chief of Staff and other key actors in the project are not attended to for now.
The source however added that there were massive support for Bello to contest, but which he would officially make his stand known either to continue or to mobilise support for a candidate of his choice, particularly now that he has already commenced consultations with some APC chieftains to be second in command.
While reacting to inquiries by journalists on the source, Kingsley Fanwo, Kogi’s Commissioner for Information, declined to respond on whether the governor has given up on his presidential ambition.
However, Onogwu Mohammed, Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said since his principal has not officially declared his intention to run for president, it is out of place to say he has dropped his presidential ambition.
“Has he officially declared his ambition? So, what are they saying? Of course, many Nigerians are calling on him to run but he has not officially declared and he has not made his ambition known publicly. So, this is not the time to say whether he has an ambition which he has dropped for any other interests”.
As it were, the APC is likely to zone its Presidency to the South, while the Vice Presidential candidate is likely to be picked from the serving governors. It’s uncertain who will eventually be picked from the South or anywhere, but the national leader of APC, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu has been well pronounced, until some lobbyists have lately, been canvassing for the incumbent Vice president, Prof. Hemi Osinbajo.
