The race for the 2023 presidency has been gaining prominence in recent political discussions, though many analysts and political experts argue that it is too early to draw attention to where the next president will come from.
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The ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), is likely to zone its presidential ticket to the southern region after the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure.
This has apparently sparked off interest from the southwest and southeast, with prominent members of the ruling party on Tuesday, December 15, launching a presidential campaign movement tagged “The South-West Agenda (SWAGA)” for the APC leader Bola Tinubu.
The race for the 2023 presidency is intensifying with Tinubu and Fayemi taking the front lead from the southwest region.
Credit:@ProfOsinbajo @Kfayemi, @AsiwajuTinubu
Source: Twitter
Although prominent individuals including Tinubu and Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state have been rumoured to be eyeing the top seat, there is no official confirmation from the camp of the two leaders.
Meanwhile, there is a profound argument that since the current president is from the north, the power is shifting to the south, with southwest and southeast showing biceps in a politics of regional interest.
As permutations continue to prelude the 2023 race, Bioreports highlights four people likely to succeed President Buhari should the APC or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) decide to zone its ticket to the southwest.
1. Bola Tinubu
A former governor of Lagos state and national leader of the APC, Tinubu is said to be eyeing the country’s highest stool when the current president’s tenure is over.
Although the former governor has not made an official confirmation, he has not done much to dismiss the conversation surrounding his 2023 ambition.
With his allies and loyalists already forming movement towards the 2023 election, Tinubu is expected to take a central state again.
Noteworthy to say is that the former governor is a central figure to the amalgamation of the political parties that formed the current APC in 2014.
2. Kayode Fayemi
The Ekiti governor is said to be eyeing the biggest office in the country just like his estranged mentor Tinubu.
The current chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Fayemi has served as a minister of mines and solid minerals.
He is expected, also, to lead the conversation in the New Year, with his ambition already polarising the Ekiti state chapter of the ruling party.
3. Yemi Osinbajo
Perhaps, Nigeria might have not had a loyal vice president like an erudite professor of law, Yemi Osinbajo.
A staunch Christian and pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Osinbajo commands huge respects in the political sphere of the country with his oratory power and enviable leadership quality.
He served as Lagos state’s commissioner for justice under Tinubu. Due to his experiences, he was largely favoured as the vice-presidential candidate to President Buhari in 2015.
As Buhari’s tenure is winding down, the vice president has been brought into the list of politicians from the southwest to take the mantle of leadership from the president.
In 2020, an advocacy group urged Nigerians to support Osinbajo and Borno governor, Babagana Zulum, for president and vice president respectively.
The same call was made by Abubakar Girei, a chieftain of the APC in 2021.
4. Peter Ayo Fayose
The former governor of Ekiti state and chieftain of the PDP has also been receiving nods to throw the hat into the ring for the presidency — and not even today.
In 2019, the former governor pulled the stunt when his posters and branded buses with ‘Meet your next president 2019, Ayo Fayose solution 2019’, inscription were sighted on the streets of Abuja.
Fayose is expected to make a genuine move ahead of 2023, though not from the ruling party APC.
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