An Elder Statesman and Political Adviser during the second Republic, Tanko Yakasai, has expressed the possibilities of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to field either Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo or Bola Tinubu, a national leader of APC, for President in 2023.
Speaking with The Interview, Yakasai credited his view to the role the region played in the emergence of Buhari in 2019.
“The current calculation is that the vice-president is from the Southwest. Clearly, there is an unwritten understanding that when Buhari finishes, the Vice President will likely be the next presidential candidate of the APC,” he said.
“The Vice President is a Yoruba man. Even if it is not Osinbajo, somebody from there, probably Tinubu, will likely emerge as the candidate of the party.
“And with the performance of the party in the southeast, I don’t see any possibility that the party will think of giving its candidacy to the southeast as against the support it earned from the southwest.
“Apart from voting, don’t forget that there were some material support which APC enjoyed from the Southwest.”
Defending his choice of Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the elections, the elder statesman said he supported Atiku because of his experience in governance and business.
Yakasai was asked: “You supported former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the PDP at the just concluded election. Do you believe the eventual winner, Muhammadu Buhari, won fair and square?”
He replied: “No, I do not. Quite alright, I supported Atiku because I don’t believe that Buhari has the capacity and the competence to handle the Nigerian problem.”
