By Akinwale Kasali
As the 2023 Presidential Election draws closer, many aspirants have indicated interest in running for the nation’s top seat. Now, the name of the Minister for Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, has popped up.
A Group under the aegis of Pro Democracy and Human Rights Group, and the Nigeria Advocacy Group, NPAG, has commenced the collection of signatures from those urging the former Lagos State Governor to throw his hat into the ring.
The convener of the group, Omolola Olukayode, said: “We are targeting up to five million signatures, at least, from Nigerian youths of voting age and from the elders too.
“Fashola would not be allowed to deny the 220 million Nigerians his services from 2023 as President.”
Olukayode said that the hunt for signatures that commenced on Monday, February 7, would last till February ending when the public would be given the update, explaining that, “after that, the signatories would pick a date when the compiled stuff would be presented to Fashola with a covering letter inviting him to come out and agree to contest for president next year.”
He added that, “This BRF project is a National one, all patriotic citizens to get involved, it is for the good of the generality of the entire citizens of the country irrespective of their social standing, political leaning or religious affiliation.”
He disclosed that several organizations have bought into the idea and “already putting machinery in place to get involved in the signature collection exercise”.
Some of the groups’ representatives who volunteered comments on the issue were, Comrades Adewale Oladipupo Epe Youth Forum. Omobanke Razak, Labour & Workers Welfare Advocacy Centre, Prince Dare Aladekoba, Royal Peoples Platform, MacDonald Onuoha of Igbo in Active Politics, Hauwa Garba Magaji of North Youth Coalition for Fashola and Buhari Abdulkareem Haroon of North Central Alliance for BRF disclosed that some organizations across the country have keyed into the awareness campaign of the initiative and are keying into it.
It was gathered this development is in addition to a planned rally to be coordinated by a non-governmental coalition of Concerned Citizens for Nigeria’s Better Future (CCBF), that is already loading.
Fashola has been silent over the rumoured Presidential ambition, but the agitation for Fashola to become the next President is borne out of the belief that he can do it better than some of those already declaring considering their conviction on Fashola’s pedigree and antecedents.
