Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola said he cannot confirm whether the National Leader of All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, will contest for the 2023 Presidency or not.
Fashola stated this on Channels Television’s ‘Hard Copy’ programme, aired on Friday night when asked whether he will support Tinubu’s rumoured 2023 presidential bid.
The former governor of Lagos state noted that he met Tinubu last week and the APC leader didn’t tell him about any presidential ambition.
He said: “I saw him (Tinubu) last week, he didn’t tell me he is running for office and to the best of my knowledge, the last statement he made on it is that people will know in January.”
Fashola also said he has not asked Tinubu whether he is interested in the 2023 Presidency or not.
‘No, I didn’t ask him, I just went to ask how was doing. He has issued a statement that, ‘I will speak in January, so let us wait till January’ he said.
Asked whether he is speaking for any aspirant come 2023, Fashola said, “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.
‘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 see 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’.’
When asked whether he is interested in becoming the President of Nigeria, Fashola said, ‘It is a very tough responsibility, a very tough job; I don’t envy those who have held that office and I don’t envy those who aspire to take it as well.’
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK