Fashola hints on Tinubu’s 2023 presidential declaration

Babatunde Fashola, former Governor of Lagos State and Minister of Works and Housing has charged Nigerians to wait till January 2022 for the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu to declare his presidential interest or not.

Fashola stated this while speaking on Channels TV on Friday night.

The APC National Leader has been spotted on posters and billboards in Lagos state and Abuja amidst rumours of his presidential ambition.

Though Tinubu has not declared his intention to take over power from President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023, there have been calls by groups in the country charging him to contest.

Recall that the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in October inaugurated the SouthWest Agenda 2023, a political movement mobilising support for Tinubu to contest the 2023 presidential election.

Some groups, however, have claimed that the Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, Fashola and some others in the region are wordy of contesting for the presidency.

Fashola when asked if he is interested in becoming the President said, “It is a very tough responsibility, a very tough job; I don’t envy those who have held that office and I don’t envy those who aspire to take it as well.”

The minister when asked if he is speaking for any aspirant come 2023 said, “As far as I am aware, nobody has said, ‘I want to be Nigeria’s President’. There are people speaking for people. Nobody has come out, we are not at that stage yet.

“I can’t venture out and say that I will speak for X or Y. Let the person come out and say, ‘I want to serve Nigeria’.

“It pains me sometimes when we see that very important job and responsibility to, ‘My people said’. I think the whole sense of it should be that, ‘I am able, I have looked at myself, give me your problem, you go to sleep’.”

Fashola when asked if he would support Tinubu in 2023 said, “I saw him (Tinubu) last week, he didn’t tell me he is running for office and to the best of my knowledge, the last statement he made on it is that people will know in January.”

On November 11th 2015, he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to be the Minister of Power, Works and Housing; he was reappointed Minister of Works & Housing on 21 August 2019.