Senator for Ogun Central, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has explained that he stepped down for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the race for the APC presidential ticket after Northern governors expressed support for South-West aspiration.
Amosun, who is a former Governor of Ogun State, stated this on Thursday while addressing his supporters at the Alake palace pavilion in Abeokuta.
Recall that Amosun, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole stepped down for Tinubu.
He said that his decision to withdraw from the race and back Tinubu showed he was not a desperate politician.
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The lawmaker said he alloted 20 per cent interest to the presidential contest while he gave the remaining 80 per cent to the general interest of the South-West and Nigeria.
Addressing his supporters in English and Yoruba, Amosun said, “Let me tell you this, you sent me to Abuja to go and work for us, I told them when I addressed them why I wanted to be president of Nigeria.
“But my wanting to be president of Nigeria cannot supersede the interest of all of us in Nigeria, all of us in the south, all of us in the southwest.
“It got to a point that we realised that our brother governors from the North were even rooting to say they want the presidency to go to the south.
“Then, we say, if we want the presidency to come to the south, then, all of us, we must find a way to unite, we must find a way to drop all these personal ambitions for the overall interest of all of us in the entire south and particularly, the Southwest.”
On Tinubu’s emergence, Amosun said, “I want to be President of Nigeria but my wanting to be president of Nigeria is just 20 per cent and that 80 per cent of it is that the presidency should come to the southwest; lo and behold, almighty God has answered that prayer, ultimately, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is our flagbearer will be the President of this great nation, Nigeria.
“So, what I want you to do, all the love, all the support, all the prayer that you have been giving to me, continue but, please, extend that support and prayer to our flagbearer, support APC, let us all campaign round because this is the only country that we have.”