The former Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, has revealed that, by January 2022, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, will join the 2023 presidential race or not.
Fashola, the current Minister of Works, urged Nigerians to wait till January 2022 for Bola Tinubu, to declare whether he will be running for president in 2023 or not.
Fashola who succeeded Tinubu as Lagos State governor in 2007 spoke on Channels Television programme ‘Hard Copy’ Friday night monitored by Newsflash Nigeria.
”I saw him last week; he didn’t tell me he was running for office and to the best of my knowledge, the last statement he made about it was that people would know in January,” Fashola said. The Minister said he did not ask Tinubu during their meeting.
“I only went to see how well he was doing,” he said, adding: “He has issued a statement that ‘I will speak in January’, so let’s wait for his speech.”
Asked if he was speaking for any presidential aspirant, Fashola responded in the negative, saying: “As far as I am aware, nobody has said, ‘I want to be Nigeria’s President’. There are people speaking for people. Nobody has come out; we are not at that stage yet.
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“I can’t venture out and say that I will speak for X or Y. Let the person come out and say, ‘I want to serve Nigeria’.
“It pains me sometimes when we seed that very important job and responsibility to, ‘My people said’. I think the whole sense of it should be that I am able, I have looked at myself, give me your problem, you go to sleep’.”
Newsflash Nigeria understands that the posters and billboards advertising the rumoured presidential bid of Tinubu have been seen in major cities including Lagos and Abuja.
Though Tinubu has yet to declare his intention to contest any office in 2023, there have been reports and veiled indications that he might be interested in the exalted seat.
Newsflash Nigeria had earlier reported that the SouthWest Agenda 2023, a political movement mobilising support for Tinubu to contest the 2023 presidential election, was inaugurated in Lagos in October by Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and other party chieftains.
Some groups and persons have also said aside from Tinubu, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi; and Fashola are equally capable to be Nigeria’s President.
