- ‘Becoming Nigeria’s president my lifelong ambition’
Peoples Democratic Party stalwart, Chief Bode George, has described the presidential ambition of All Progressives Congress leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as a huge joke.
George said this during a chat on Monday while reacting to Tinubu’s decision to inform the President Muhammadu Buhari of his intention to contest.
“This so-called ambition must be a huge joke. The Presidency of Nigeria is not for characters like Bola Tinubu. Look at how he mismanaged the resources of Lagos State. It is surprising that he can even dream of becoming the President of Nigeria. He is living in cuckoo land,” said George.
The former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP said Tinubu would be shocked by how things will go and how he will be double-crossed by those he is trusting.
George said the South-West had quality leaders who could produce the next President of Nigeria. He, however, said Tinubu was not one of them.
He said it would be an insult for the South-West, which is the most sophisticated region in the country, to settle for Tinubu.
George also said it was unfortunate that a hallowed ground like the Presidential Villa would be the location for Tinubu to declare his ambition.
Tinubu, who was governor of Lagos State, informed Buhari that he would want to contest in next year’s election.
The former governor lamented that he was tired of being a kingmaker and it was time to actualise his dream.
Becoming Nigeria’s president is my lifelong ambition -Tinubu
He said that becoming Nigeria’s president is his lifelong ambition.
According to him, Buhari did not ask him to discard his political ambition.
When asked how the President responded to his declaration, Tinubu said, “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 he’s qualified to make Nigeria better.
“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 are 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.
The former Lagos governor dodged the question of a potential race for the APC ticket between him and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, whose support groups have been mobilising for his candidacy.
Earlier, a former interim National Chairman of APC, Bisi Akande, had claimed in his book, ‘My Participations’, that Buhari in 2014 promised to make Tinubu his running mate in exchange for his support at the APC primaries.
Akande wrote that Buhari reneged on his promise after some governors raised objections.
Akande also noted that Tinubu was instrumental to the emergence of Yemi Osinbajo as running mate to Buhari after he was formally dropped and asked to submit three names from the South-west from which Buhari would pick one.
‘No rule stops kingmaker from becoming king’, Tinubu defends presidential ambition
Meanwhile Tinubu has dismissed the calls in some quarters that he should remain a kingmaker instead of being a presidential candidate in 2023.
He said he is a Nigerian and he has the right to be the king himself, not just a kingmaker.
His words, “I have never seen where it is written in the rule book anywhere in any country that a kingmaker cannot be a king unless he commits murder. I want to pursue my ambition without the title of a kingmaker.”
The Punch
