As the political atmosphere in Nigeria is beginning to heat up ahead of the 2023 presidential election, with who succeeds President Muhammadu Buhari becoming a manor focus, politicians have been told to pay more attention to insecurity and challenges facing the country.
A public Affairs Analyst, Jare Ajayi, gave the advice on Wednesday while speaking exclusively to DAILY POST.
Most politicians commenting on the next president of Nigeria have named Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the best candidate to succeed Buhari.
Traditional rulers, a former minister, lawmakers, APC chieftains, and other pressure groups have endorsed Tinubu to replace Buhari in 2023. Former Minister of Works, Adeseye Ogunlewe, had said Tinubu is in the best position to become Nigeria’s next president.
To this end, Ogunlewe disclosed that plans are on the way to launch a presidential campaign for the former Lagos State governor on Thursday.
“On Thursday, we will launch the Lagos faction of his campaign team, so that everybody would be aware of his intention to contest. Then we move from there to participate in the national convention, where they are going to choose the flagbearer of the party,” Ogunlewe had said.
Tinubu is currently in London recuperating from surgery.
While recuperating in London, the APC National Leader played host to state governors, Senators, APC Chieftains, including President Muhammadu Buhari himself.
Among those who visited him was a House of Representatives member representing Suleja/Tafa And Gurara federal constituency of Niger State, Abubakar Lado Suleja. Suleja, who was in the company of some legislators led by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Wase, had addressed Tinubu as “Mr President Inshi Allah.”
Despite all the furore about him succeeding Buhari in 2023, the former Lagos State governor has remained silent, a situation that has fuelled the belief in certain quarters that he would indeed run for the presidency in 2023.
However, a public affairs analyst, Jare Ajayi, has criticized politicians for heating up Nigeria’s political atmosphere when the country is ravaged by insecurity and killings by bandits, Boko Haram and unknown gunmen.
Speaking with DAILY POST, Ajayi said politicians should focus more attention on resolving the insecurity challenges in Nigeria now than talking about the country’s next president.
Ajayi said if politicians truly have the interest of Nigeria at heart, they would concentrate on resolving the country’s challenges.
He said: “The issue of 2023 should not be the major focus now; the situation in Nigeria is so dire, so serious in the economy, and particularly with insecurity. This has to be the attention of our politicians if they have the country’s interest at heart.
“So, the question of who should be the president or not should not be the major focus. It could be an underground thing but what we should focus on is the issue of insecurity.
“The other day, the governor of Niger State lamented that bandits have taken over some section of the state. The Chairman of Shiroro Local Government in the same state had said his domain has not only been taken over by Boko Haram and bandits, but they now hoist their flag and forcing residents to join them.
“So to people like that, what does 2023 mean to them? It’s more important to survive and be in good condition before we now talk about who should become what.
“To me, our politicians, if they genuinely have the interest of Nigerians at heart, they should concentrate on how to bring an end to the issue of insecurity. Look at what is happening in the Southeast. Is that the kind of life we should be living? ”
