Former Presidential aide, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has said he is the most qualified candidate to become the next President of Nigeria in 2023.
He said he was the one former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida had in mind during his recent interview with Arise TV ahead of his 80th birthday.
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IBB had said he had already seen three potential candidates for the next presidency and they are in their 60s.
IBB said: “I have started visualising a good Nigerian leader. That is, a person, who travels across the country and has a friend virtually everywhere he travels to and he knows at least one person that he can communicate with.
“That is a person, who is very versed in economics and is also a good politician, who should be able to talk to Nigerians and so on. I have seen one, or two or three of such persons already.”
But Okupe who also featured on Arise TV on Friday said IBB must definitely have him in mind, saying he is the most qualified person to be the next President, followed by the current Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
The former presidential adviser to former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan also ruled out Northerner as the next President, saying the North would have served eight years by the time Buhari completes his tenure in 2023.
He stated that it is not an impossible thing to join the race because he is also in his 60s.
He said, “The person (the next President) should be somebody who can pick up his phone and call at least one person in every local government of the federation.
“That means it is somebody who already moved around, who has socially interacted with people from all sections of Nigeria. He understands Nigeria.
“I also agree with that, in his 60s. For instance if I join the race, I am in my 60s.
“And I think that by what IBB has actually said, I have not spoken to him, I have a feeling that he had me in mind.
“Believe me sincerely. I must be one of them. I am serious. Because there is no local government in this country I have not visited five times in my lifetime, there is none and I am the most really well prepared person to be President.”
He said he didn’t only serve under two different presidencies, he was “a friend and associate of each of the Presidents, a confidant of the Presidents, I have seen them handled the country.”
“If you are going to do that table properly, I Doyin Okupe should be number one.
“Then the next person, most qualified person would be Osinbajo, using the same yardsticks I used for myself.
“Osinbajo in the last couple of years has been number two man. All be it, he may not have been acting properly, that is the internal politics of the APC presidency. But he is the Vice-President of the current President, he is also very intelligent, knowledgeable,” he added.
