The race for the successor of President Muhammadu Buhari has
begun in earnest. Politics has commenced in full throttle, with many analysts
of the game classifying the contenders and pretenders for the presidential
election in 2023.
The gale of declaration is whipping out promises and
campaign strategies from political parties across the country.
Not surprisingly, the party leading the wave of contenders
is the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), with 19 aspirants who have
publicly declared their intention for the number one job in the land.
Undeterred by the N100 million price tag of the party’s
presidential ticket, aspirants continue to pour like rain in August.
From the bigwigs who masterminded the formation of the party
to those who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), here is
everyone who has announced interest in the APC presidential ticket:
BOLA TINUBU
After months of speculations and consultations with
different support groups, Bola Tinubu publicly announced his intent to contest
the presidential election on the platform of APC after meeting with President
Muhammadu Buhari on January 10. He was the first in the party to declare his
ambition which he described as “lifelong”.
His signal of intent opened the floodgate for a flurry of
declarations by other presidential hopefuls within the party.
DAVID UMAHI
Less than 24 hours after Tinubu left Aso Rock with Buhari’s
“blessing”, David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi, was in the state house for his own
anointment.
The governor claimed God spoke to him, and that he was ready
to replicate his efforts in Ebonyi state at the national level, especially in
terms of building infrastructure.
ORJI KALU
Orji Kalu’s announcement was direct and straightforward; it
came three days after Tinubu’s, and there was no pilgrimage to Aso Rock. It was
simply, “I will be very ready to face him [Tinubu] in Eagle Square, and I will
get it.”
ROCHAS OKOROCHA
Rochas Okorocha announced his bid on January 31. During his
formal declaration, he described himself as “Captain Rochas”, who is ready to
be the “pilot for a new Nigeria”.
A few hours later, he was grilled by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for his alleged involvement in a N2.9billion
fraud, which he has repeatedly dismissed as a witchhunt.
After months of “begging” from support groups across the
country, Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi, on April 2, announced his intention to
run for president on the platform of APC.
Speaking at the Eagle Square in Abuja, he promised that
“what God has helped us to do in Kogi state, by the grace of God, we will
replicate the same in Nigeria”.
ROTIMI AMAECHI
Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transport, declared his
intention to contest for the APC presidential ticket on April 9 — just days after a gang of bandits attacked a
train with over 300 passengers on board in Kaduna.
During the event where he threw his hat into the ring, the
minister of transportation jogged around the stadium in demonstration of his
physical fitness for the position of the president.
TUNDE BAKARE
On the same day, albeit virtually, Tunde Bakare, serving
overseer of The Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as the Latter
Rain Assembly, announced his presidential bid and unveiled ‘Project 16’ to
Nigerians in the diaspora.
The cleric said he was joining the race because Nigerians
“need a leader who can reconcile historical and current differences,
reintegrate the various ethnic and religious constituent parts into true
nationhood, and rebuild the broken walls of federalism while maximising
Nigeria’s diverse, geo-economic economic potential”.
YEMI OSINBAJO
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo joined the race for the APC
presidential ticket in a less dramatic fashion. His announcement was not at the
stadium or arena like the rest, but via a live TV broadcast on April 11.
The vice-president promised to continue to carry on the
legacy of his principal.
CHRIS NGIGE
Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, announced
his presidential ambition on April 19 in front of a crowd at Alor in Idemili
South LGA of Anambra state.
The minister, who has been at the forefront of negotiations
to end the protracted strike action of the Academic Staff Union of Universities
(ASUU), said APC had not failed Nigerians, and Buhari is greatly misunderstood
— especially in the south-east.
He said his experience in public office over the years gives
him the capacity to perform well as president.
BEN AYADE
After months of mixed signals, Ben Ayade, governor of Cross
River, finally declared his intention to gun for the ruling party’s
presidential berth in 2023.
He announced his intention after meeting with Buhari on
April 26, stating that he would only step down from the race if former
President Goodluck Jonathan is in the contest.
CHUKWUEMEKA NWAJIUBA
Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, minister of state for education,
became a presidential hopeful after he was presented with APC’s N100 million
expression of interest and nomination forms by a support group.
The minister of state for education said Buhari has achieved
“extraordinary feats” in the last seven years, adding that he is ready to
“build on the solid foundation that has been laid thus far”.
KEN NNAMANI
Ken Nnamani, former president of the senate, declared his
ambition on April 29 at a press conference in Abuja.
Announcing his intention, Nnamani said: “Nigeria needs to be
reinvented to be a modern, democratic state.”
KAYODE FAYEMI
Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti and chairman of the Nigeria
Governors Forum (NGF), finally announced his presidential bid on Wednesday, May
4 in Abuja.
The governor said the decision was not easy, and that he
consulted with Nigerians at different strata of society before declaring his
bid.
ADAMS OSHIOMOLE
Adams Oshiomhole, former governor of Edo, dropped his own
gauntlet on the same day as Fayemi, announcing that he would also be vying for
the presidential ticket of the party.
The former APC national chairman’s presidential declaration
came precisely one month after announcing he would contest for the Edo North
senatorial seat.
GODSWILL AKPABIO
Also, on Wednesday in Ikot Ekpene Stadium in Uyo, the Akwa
Ibom capital, Godswill Akpabio, minister of Niger Delta affairs, joined the
long list of challengers for the APC presidential ticket.
Akpabio said he is determined not to let Nigeria sink,
noting that the “deep well of experiences” he gathered in service has prepared
him for the presidential position.
IBIKUNLE AMOSUN
Ibikunle Amosun, former Ogun state governor, entered the
race on Thursday.
The serving senator said he is in the race because Nigeria
needs a “leadership that will galvanise our country to achieve our manifest
destiny as the leading nation, not only in Africa but in the black world”.
NICHOLAS FELIX
Nicholas Felix, a US-based Nigerian pastor of the Miracle
Church International, announced his entry into the race by procuring the N100
million presidential nomination and expression of interest forms on Thursday.
Felix had, in 2019, contested the presidency on the platform
of the Peoples Coalition Party (PCP) and got 110,196 votes — the third most
votes secured by a political party in the poll.
He became the second pastor to declare an intention for
APC’s presidential ticket.
OGBONNAYA ONU
Ogbonnaya Onu, minister of science and technology, finally
declared his presidential ambition on Friday.
Speaking at an event in Abuja, the minister described
himself as a “man of great compassion”, adding if he gets the number one job in
the land, his government would provide free treatment in public hospitals.
UJU OHANENYE
Uju Ohanenye became APC’s first female presidential aspirant
after she acquired the nomination and expression of interest form on Friday in
Abuja.
As she picked up the subsidised N30 million form, Ohanenye
said she would not be intimidated by the male aspirants, but she would withdraw
from the race for any aspirant with the vision and desire to address growing
poverty and insecurity in the country.
AHMED YERIMA
Ahmed Yerima, former Zamfara state governor, on Friday,
declared his presidential bid after meeting with Buhari at the state house.
Yerima said he seeks “to fight insecurity, fight poverty and
ignorance” if he gets the Aso Rock seat.
He said his experience as governor of Zamfara for eight
years and his work at the senate have helped him “to understand, properly, the
problems of this country”.
DIMEJI BANKOLE
Dimeji Bankole, a former speaker of the House of
Representatives, has also obtained the APC presidential expression of interest
and nomination forms.
The former speaker obtained the forms worth N100 million
through Aliyu Shinkafi, a former governor of Zamfara.
Shinkafi, on Friday, led a delegation to the International
Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja where the forms were obtained.
In 2019, Bankole contested as the governorship candidate of
the Action Democratic Party (ADP) in Ogun state.
culled: TheCable
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