The 2023 presidential hopeful and National leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Bola Tinubu says he will succumb to calls for him to contest the 2023 presidential race.
Tinubu who met with members of Northern Alliance Committee on Tuesday, said though he was yet to declare officially, disclosed that consultations were ongoing concerning his presidential ambition.
The politician said, he was meeting every groups at a personal level for now.
Already, various groups like Tinubu Support Group and the South-West Agenda known as SWAGA, have set up campaign offices across the country, pressuring the former Lagos State governor to run for office.
This is not withstanding the fact that the ruling All Progressives Congress is swimming in crisis of confidence and supremacy.
In Kano, APC’s crisis between the governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and the Federal lawmakers from the State is widening by the day even as the FCT High Court has sacked Kano governor’s backed State Executive and recognised Senator Ibrahim Shekarau-led faction.
The crisis went messy two weeks ago when the campaign office of Senator Jibrin Barau who is also a 2023 governorship hopeful burnt by thugs loyal to the State governor.
After the campaign office was raged, about 13 suspects were arrested by Kano State Police Command in connection with the incident. A petition has been written to the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Usman Baba Alkali and CAPITAL POST learnt, that investigation is in progress.
In Zamfara State, North West, Nigeria crisis festers in APC unabated as Senator Kabiru Marafa and the former governor of Zamfara State, Abdul’aziz Yari are slugging it out with governor Mohammed Bello Matawalle. The governor is a decampee, who has been handed over the party structure, a development that is seen as unsavoury to Senator Marafa and Yari who vowed to fight the party to tatters.
The leaders are unfortunately locked up in battle royale such that a Federal High Court in Zamfara last week ruled against Abdul’aziz Yari’s Court motion to de-recognise the National Caretaker Committee’s State structure.
In Kwara State, the story of crisis is not different even as APC is on its way to extinction given the magnitude of crisis between the State governor Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq and the Minister of Information, Culture and National Orientation, Lai Mohammed who is a native of the State.
Party members loyalty to either Lai Mohammed or the State governor is currently the biggest challenge and as it were, one must be kidding and oblivious of the apparent lack of oneness in Kwara to say APC will win 2023 election in the State. In the circumstances, the State APC found it self, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have a free return in 2023.
In Kaduna State the domineering stance and the high-handedness of the State governor, Malami Nasir is the biggest problem confronting the APC. In the last Local Government election, APC suffered defeat as electorate and APC members worked for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party against their own party.
Speculations were rife that the Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial district, Uba Sani who was El-Rufai former aide before becoming Senator on the platform of the All Progressives Congress is no longer on the same page with the governor.
This is not inexhaustible, anyway even in Lagos where cold war in APC is eating up the party.
Confirming his consultation, Tinubu said: “I’m not going to turn them down but I am still consulting, particularly brainstorming with my friends and I will find a date to come out openly and tell Nigerians.”
He called for massive support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
“The President is still in office, I don’t want to distract him from all the challenges that he might face today. So we will consult and make our programme known to the people later and the intention is clear. So you keep guessing.”
Endorsing Tinubu for 2023, the leader of the Northern Alliance Committee, Amb Lawal Munir, said the meeting resolved to work for the actualisation of the ambition of the APC National Leader to the next level.
Munir, who said they had a fruitful meeting with Tinubu, disclosed that the committee resolved to support him come 2023 due to his superlative qualities.
He added, “The meeting ended very well. We are working for him. We are working for him because we know he will win the election when the time comes.”
Among the early presidential hopefuls who have clearly indicated their interest is Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello who insisted that North Central Nigeria has since suffered marginisation, hence, he should be supported to become the President in 2023.
