Kogi state governor Yahaya Bello has expressed optimism that he will emerge as the consensus candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) despite the presence of political heavyweights such as: Senator Bola Tinubu, and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as aspirants in the 2023 presidential race.
Yahaya Bello, represented by the Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, said at the press conference held in Abuja on Tuesday that,
“Gov. Bello is not intimidated by their pedigree, profile experience, and exposure or what they have done in the past…”
Fanwo opined that, rather than Bello being threatened by their presence, “I think they are the ones that should be intimidated right now.”
Spokesman Fanwo again insisted that, the 2023 presidential election is not going to be based on “what you have done in the past,” but it is going to be about “what you can do for the nation from 2023.”
He submitted that, because governor Bello has “garnered some experiences, having been a Chief Executive of his state for the past six, seven years, he has been able to see governance at that very close range.”
Fanwo therefore expressed confidence that, Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi state “is going to do a great job for Nigeria,” if he emerges as the president of the country, while also expressing confidence in the leadership of APC to have a fair playing ground to all the candidates.
He said, “Our party is a party of rules. I am very sure if you avail yourself of the constitution of the party, especially as it affects the mode of selecting candidates for elections, you will see the rules concerning consensus, direct and indirect primaries.”
He again expressed optimism that “they (APC leadership) will follow the constitution,” with an addendum that, “We cannot make rules and break them.”