Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has join the long list of presidential hopefuls from his party planning to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari. The tenure of the incumbent expires in 2023, and quite a number of politicians from his the ruling APC have expressed interest to be President and commander in chief of Africa’ s most populous nation.
Bello who virtually declared his interest to run on Thursday in Lokoja, the state’s capital is expected to slug it out with Bola Tinubu, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi state, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who has yet to make his ambition public and others who may wish to pick the party’s sole presidential ticket for next year’s presidential election.
Making the presidential declaration, the Kogi helmsman said “I am offering myself to aspire for the 2023 presidency under our party, APC.
“I really want to thank you for the wonderful things you are doing in your respective states and our fatherland and I sincerely want to appreciate you and thank you for the support to our great party, the support to President Muhammadu Buhari and your service to your people in your various constituencies. I want to thank you for taking the time to come for this extraordinary meeting holding in the North-East, Bauchi in particular.
“Mine is just to express a token of appreciation and tell you that the task ahead is an enormous one, it is all about all of us, about our Nigeria, about our dear party, it is about our future.
“However, I asked the Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly to link me up so that I can talk to you virtually during the meeting. As you know, my speaker and others as well as well-meaning Nigerians have been going around the country to meet with critical stakeholders like you. I sincerely appreciate you for joining the project, I will meet you, people, one on one very soon.
Bello said his administration will promote synergy among the three arms of government to move the country forward if elected president.
He said, “I want to promise you that I will not disappoint anyone of you, looking at the relationship I have with my speaker, I know that by the grace of God when we get to the promised land we are going to have a more wonderful working relationship on May 29, 2023, Insha Allah. As you can see we are moving on steadily, I need your support, I need your prayers because together we can make it happen. We will build on the good things done by the administration.”
In his remarks, Speaker of Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Suleiman, assured that elected APC members from the zone will work for the emergence of the Kogi State governor because according to him, “he has a lot of positive things to offer the country considering what he is doing in Kogi State presently.”
The Bauchi speaker stressed that the people of the area are unanimously in support of the aspiration, assuring that when the time comes, they will speak with one voice in the support of the Yahaya Bello.
Meanwhile, Tinubu has met with a former military Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida to inform him of his quest to become president. According to the formerger Lagos state governor and APC National Leader, the former military ruler prayed for him and wished him well.
