The mainstream Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere has reacted to report that the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu was aspiring to run for presidency in 2023.
According to Daily Post, the Afenifere spokesperson, Mr. Yinka Odumakin said, Tinubu reserved the right to run for presidency in 2023.
While some persons have faulted the alleged political move by Tinubu, others feel it’s a welcome development.
For instance, a few weeks ago, former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode had commended the APC National Leader for “aspiring” to be president in 2023.
Fani-Kayode had tweeted: “I am not in Bola Tinubu’s party but I commend him for having the courage to aspire to be President in 2023.
“How many southern politicians from either APC or PDP have had the guts to do that? If nothing else, he has challenged the myth that the north owns Nigeria.”
But in Odumakin’s opinion, the line has been drawn and the race has already begun.
According to him, “Tinubu, anybody can come out for presidency, but if you have listened to Miyetti Allah who are now the elite of the North, and Garba Shehu who said they are now equivalent to Afenifere and Ohanaeze Ndigbo, people from the South East should forget the presidency in 2023.
“You have seen El-Rufai coming to Lagos to make his declaration, however I’m not somebody who should be reading in between the line for an adult. For me I think the line has been drawn.
“Look, it seems people don’t learn from history, go back to 1982 when MKO Abiola said he wanted to be president of Nigeria and the Northern Alfa clique of the NPN told him that the Presidency was not for sale.
“Abiola left NPN and in 1993 he contested under SDP and won it but they annulled it and killed him in prison, so those who can read in between the line can tell what is going on.”