2023: Rally round Tinubu – Ex-presidential candidate tells Northerners

A former Presidential candidate of the National Action Council (NAC), Dr. Olapade Agoro, on Monday urged northern leaders to forget about retaining power in the zone beyond 2023 but rally round the perceived presidential ambition of a former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Agoro, who made this call while speaking with journalists at his Apata, Ibadan residence, declared that it was wrong for political associates of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to roll out the drums once again, calling on the former Vice President to run in 2023.

He noted that Tinubu, who is the National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), is known to be an arch-supporter of northern Presidential candidates right from 2007, saying the 2023 should be a pay back time for the north to reciprocate the support given by Tinubu to Atiku in 2007, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu in 2011, and incumbent President Muhammodu Buhari in 2015 and 2019.

Specifically, Agoro explained that without the inputs of the APC National Leader, who used his resources, influence and political sagacity, it would have been difficult for President Buhari to win the 2015 Presidential election.

He also said that it will be morally wrong for the north to agitate for the 2023 Presidency, owing to the fact that “the just concluded 2019 Presidential election was wrongly tilted in favour of the northern part of Nigeria that presented Buhari and Atiku, the two popular candidates for the election.

“It became obvious that the 2019 election was meant to serve the interest of the north. The management of the election by INEC was also one – eyed looking wrongly in favour of the north.

“Otherwise, how do we explain that the two popular candidates from the north polled about 40 million votes, leaving other 69 candidates with less than one million votes?”

Agoro added that care must be taken this time around to ensure fairness and fair play, insisting that the south should be allowed to have its own slot.

On the agitation for the 2023 Presidency by the Southeast, the former NAC Presidential candidate said “the Igbos have started clamouring for their right, which is right”.