Why I no longer want to be president in 2019 – Fayose

The governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has hinted why he is no longer interested in running for president in 2019.

The outgoing governor spoke in Ado Ekiti on Friday while receiving a presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party, Musa Kwakwanso, who was in the state to seek the support of Ekiti delegates.

“As a good leader, I cannot abandon my loyal deputy whose mandate was stolen by the APC and be pursuing another ambition,” Mr Fayose said.

“My posters are there in a room. I am committed to the recovery of the mandate.”

Mr Fayose declared his ambition to run for the office of president in September 2017, in Abuja.

Mr Fayose had boasted as one of his predictions that would come to pass, that he would be president in 2019.

He also vowed to defeat the incumbent in a free and fair election.

“My inviting you today, distinguished leaders of our party, is to inform you formally that I will be seeking the ticket of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to contest the 2019 presidential election. This is without prejudice to our party’s position,” his address had read in part.

“However, I am a supporter of competence and capacity, especially now that this country needs young and able leaders that can take our country out of this present state of hopelessness

“Most importantly, despite that the party has zoned the presidency to the North, it may interest you that no one has come out in this manner to show interest and our party should not wait or beg anyone to fly its flag.

“Do we now say that if no one comes out from the North, the party won’t have a candidate?”

But speaking on Friday, the governor said with Mr Kwakwanso now in the PDP he had been vindicated that President Muhammadu Buhari lacked the capacity to govern the country.

The Kano senator is among a retinue of aspirants seeking the ticket of the PDP to contest next year’s presidential election.

According to Mr Fayose, when he gave the warning about the capacity of President Buhari, Mr Kwankwaso was one of the people who reacted angrily against him.

“But thank God, today, you have seen reason and you are now born again,” Mr Fayose told his guest.

“I told Nigerians in 2015 when Buhari was campaigning that he lacked capacity. His subordinates have always handled governance whenever he heads a place. You said what is this Fayose saying but today, you are a great convert.”

The governor said Mr Buhari was a wrong choice for the All Progressives Congress (APC), and described him as a “black market.”

Mr. Fayose urged the PDP to pick the best candidate so that Nigerians could have a choice in 2019.

“We must approach this battle with as a united body. This is a wake up call for all the aspirants. We want a man in whom our future and the future of the country is guaranteed,” he said.

In his remarks, Mr Kwankwaso, who is a former governor of Kano State, admitted that the APC which he was part of, made a mistake in their change mantra by picking President Buhari.

“We all know what is happening as a result of the change we made. We regretted it and it was a mistake. We must change the change,” he said.

“With your support and the support of the others, PDP will sack APC in 2019 and form the government at the centre.

“I have come to Ekiti to solicit for your support and through you, to ask for the support of the delegates. We are all aware of the challenges we face as a country. I believe I have the capacity to put things right just as we did in Kano where we almost performed a miracle.”

Saminu Turaki too

Another aspirant of the party and former minister, Saminu Turaki, was also in the state to canvass for support of the delegates to clinch the PDP ticket to contest for president in 2019.

He warned that the unity of the country faced great threat.

“Today Nigerians are divided like never before. The survival of the country is in serious jeopardy and her unity is under threat because we have a clueless and inept leadership,” declared Mr Turaki.

He said in 2015 Boko Haram terrorists were chased to the border towns, and that all all the APC needed to do was to finish them off. He said the party failed.

He noted that the insurgents have regrouped 3and retooled with the federal government money.

“Everyday, hundreds of people are killed across the country by criminal herdsmen and nobody has been arrested or prosecuted. The souls of the dead are crying for justice in their graves.

“In 2015, Nigeria economy was number one in Africa because we made people to believe in themselves, but today, Nigeria economy has collapsed and investors are divesting from the country.

“Corruption did not start with the PDP but, the party created critical institutions to tackle corruption. Most of the people being tried were PDP leaders. The Freedom of Information Act was passed under PDP government. ”

Mr Turaki also claimed faith in the restructuring of the country but lamented that the constitution is making restructuring an impossible task.