A presidential aspirant and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu has said he is seeking to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari to unite the nation.
The former Lagos State Governor said he will fix Nigeria’s security challenges and rejig the crumbling economy.
It has been reported that Bola Tinubu made this known during a visit to the palace of the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe, where he met with traditional rulers.
The APC chieftain was accompanied by the Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Bisi Egbeyemi, who said he represented Governor Kayode Fayemi, and top brass of the Southwest Agenda for Tinubu 2023, led by Senator Dayo Adeyeye.
Speaking to the traditional ruler, Tinubu said he chose to consult with monarchs before officially declaring for the presidency because of his respect for culture and tradition.
He said, “We have struggled for democracy and today, we have democracy, but we are not stable yet. There is insecurity, hopelessness, lack of education and suffering in the land. By now, we should have a good farming system and opportunities to produce for other nations to buy.
We are here to answer the call of our children by educating them the right way so that we can leave a Nigeria that is united, prosperous and abundant for them. We chose democracy and we must not fail in this task.
That was why we formed the APC based on principles. I want to tell you that Nigeria needs serious change. I knew how Lagos was when I took over and we have never failed any election. There must be continuity in governance for progress to be attained.
I was the first governor in Nigeria to start paying the WAEC fee of secondary school students. I shall do it again as a President.”
Speaking on his credentials, the former lawmaker said he was with MKO Abiola in the Social Democratic Party before he became a Senator.
“I was the youngest Senator of that era. I was about becoming Director of Finance of ExxonMobil, but I rejected it.
I said I wanted to serve Nigeria. They gave me leave of absence to go and do politics for four years and come back, but I only spent two years as a senator when the military came and terminated our tenure. I had an option, which was to go back and enjoy working at ExxonMobil, but I decided that I would fight for Nigeria,” he added.
According to Tinubu, he believed that there must be democracy in Nigeria, freedom and mang opportunities.
He said: “We joined hands with Professor Wole Soyinka, Chief Anthony Enahoro and others. Governor Kayode Fayemi was in the University of London then, brilliant and he joined the struggle. He worked so hard, in fact, he is an excellent man. So, looking at all these, we should all know that this democracy must not fail.
We have to collaborate, unite and promote ourselves, instead of fighting. We all see what is happening in Ukraine today, we don’t need such experience here. We must elevate our technology and make use of available opportunities to develop Nigeria and that is what we are coming to do.”
