The national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has praised President Muhammadu Buhari as a ‘true democrat’ for not attempting to stop his presidential ambition with regards to the upcoming polls in 2023.
The APC political maestro made this statement on Monday after a meeting with the president at the State House in Abuja.
Tinubu, who was responding to a question regarding what Buhari told him after he informed the president of his intention to run for the presidency in 2023, said, ‘he didn’t ask me not to attempt and pursue my ambition’.
While stressing that the move was a lifelong ambition, the former governor of Lagos added that when one is ‘running a democratic dispensation, he must adopt the principles, values and the virtues of democracy’.
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Tinubu, however, explained that while he has informed President Buhari of his intention, he has yet to inform Nigerians of his intention to succeed the Katsina-born leader.
Africa Today News, New York reports that in recent times, there have been a number of support groups, drumming up support for Tinubu’s ambition, there have also been those urging Vice President Osinbajo and Governor of Kogi State to run for the same office, but the APC chieftain said it is not yet time to discuss individuals.
‘I must discuss myself. I have the confidence, the vision, the capacity to rule, build on the foundation of Mr. President, and turn Nigeria better. I have done that with commitment and unyielding you know, in Lagos State’.
He said: ‘You’ve seen that experience and the capacity to turn things around and that is what we are doing. You know, the confusion, the drift of the past in PDP is being corrected. And you can’t take away from that”.
‘As we are today, go back to the data on how many barrels of oil were we producing when we first came in and what it is today.
‘Let us think back, let us be intellectually inquisitive as to the past and the present and what the future holds for Nigeria,’ the former lawmaker urged Nigerians.
When asked about what Nigerians are to expect of him if he becomes president, Tinubu replied that it was not yet time for a manifesto.
In any case, he addressed the issues of direct primaries and the APC convention and did not fail to speak about those who are of the opinion that being a kingmaker fits him more than throwing himself into the ring.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK