A prominent Northern politician has said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo could be Nigeria’s next president come 2023.
In a special interview in Kano on Thursday, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai told The Interview that, “There may be an unwritten understanding that when President Muhammadu Buhari finishes, the Vice President will likely be the next presidential candidate of the APC.”
A statement from Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief of The Interview, Azu Ishiekwene, on Thursday noted that though Yakasai made a similar comment casually days before the February presidential election, he seemed almost certain now that the torch will pass to the South West.
“If it’s not Osinbajo, then somebody from there, probably (Bola Ahmed) Tinubu will likely emerge as the candidate of the APC.
“I don’t see any possibility that the party will think of giving its candidacy to the South East, against the support it got from the South West. Apart from the votes, don’t forget that APC also enjoyed material support from the South West,” Yakasai said.
It noted that the 2019 presidential campaign of the APC and the opposition PDP – but especially APC – was dogged by controversy over which zone would produce the next president when Buhari’s second and final term expires in 2023.
Although, the convener of Save Nigeria Group (SNG) and Pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare, said immediately after Buhari’s re-election that he would make the bid to succeed him, the name of the APC National Leader, Tinubu has also come up strongly.
The 11th colloquium to mark Tinubu’s 67th birthday in Abuja on Thursday, has been described in some circles as the first major staging post.
In the special edition of The Interview which came out, Dr. Yakasai also spoke on why he opposed Buhari’s re-election and named a minister he said he was sure would not be re-appointed.
On the leadership of the 9th Senate, he said the APC was on the verge of repeating its past mistake.
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