The Former Governor of Lagos State and national leader of Nigeria’s governing party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has declared his ambition to contest next year’s Presidential election.
Tinubu made the declaration on Monday in an interview with State House Correspondents, soon after he met behind closed doors with President Buhari at the State House, Abuja.
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The APC stalwart said during their meeting, he formally informed the President of his desire to run for President.
“I can say categorically yes! I have informed the President of my intention but I have not informed Nigerians yet, I am still consulting and I have no problem consulting and I have not set a parameter of limitation to the extent of consultation.
“You will soon hear what you want to hear all you want to hear, a categorical declaration; you have gotten that truth from me that I have informed the President of my ambition and you don’t expect more answers than that.”
When asked how the President responded to his declaration, the APC National Leader said that’s their business, adding that the President did not ask him to stop.
“He is a democrat. He didn’t ask me to stop, he didn’t ask me not to attempt and pursue my ambition. It is a lifelong ambition. You are running a democratic dispensation and you must adopt the principles and values and virtues of democracy,” he said.
When asked to comment on the ambition of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and all those planning to contest the APC presidential ticket with him, Tinubu said he would not discuss individuals.
“I don’t want to discuss individuals now, I must discuss myself. I have the confidence, vision and capacity to build on the foundation of the President and turn Nigeria better. I have done that with commitment and yielding zeal in Lagos State.
“You have seen that experience and capacity to turn things around and that is also what we are doing. The confusion and drift of the past in PDP is being corrected as we are today. Going back to the data of how many barrels of oil we were producing when we took over and what we have today.
“You now see excellent infrastructure. Let us think back and be intellectually inquisitive as to the past and the present as well as what the future holds for Nigeria,” he added.
On the calls in some quarters that he should remain a king maker and support a younger person for the position of President next year, the APC stalwart said he is a Nigerian and he has the right to be the king himself, not just a king maker.
“I have never seen where it is written in the rule book anywhere in any country that a king maker cannot be a king unless he commits murder. I want to pursue my ambition without the title of a king maker,” he said.
On the much talked about national convention of the party, Tinube assured supporters of the party that the convention will hold.
He said he was in the State House to discuss the affairs of the nation and those of his party the APC.
“I came to see the President on general issues concerning Nigeria including our political party, APC, security issues, his achievements and the New Year agenda and the new strategy that we must have at our party’s convention and all that.”
