2023: Badaru Speaks On Withdrawing From Presidential Race

A Presidential aspirant and Governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru, has denied withdrawing from the 2023 presidential race.

Naija News reports that a statement emerged over the weekend that Badaru had withdrawn from the presidential race to support the quest for a Southern presidency.

Badaru disclosed that he will only withdraw from the presidential race if President Muhammadu Buhari agrees that power should move to the South in 2023.

The governor also refuted media reports that the President had directed that the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congres (APC) should be zoned to the South.

He, however, confirmed that northern governors in the party only called for power to be zoned to the southern part of the country ahead of the 2023 general elections.

In a chat with BBC Hausa on Sunday, Badaru revealed that the governors also advised northern presidential aspirants to withdraw from the race.

The Jigawa governor, however, said the decision of northern APC governors is still a proposal and subject to the approval of President Buhari.

According to Badaru, the northern APC governors have selected Governor Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Solomon Lalong (Plateau) and Abdullahi Sule (Nassarawa) to meet with Buhari and discuss the issue.

He said: “It is true, northern governors, about 11 of them, myself included, discussed the issue and looked at the situation. We concluded to advise Buhari that given the situation, it will be better to cede the candidature to the South.

“That was the reason why three people were nominated; the governors of Kebbi, Plateau and Nassarawa states to go and meet Buhari to discuss the issue. If he agrees with it, it will be implemented. Otherwise, if he has a better proposal, he should give it to us in his capacity as our father and us as his children.

“So I was surprised to hear that a communique has been issued with the signature of people, which in all honesty was a proposal meant to be taken to Baba. If he agrees with it, it will be implemented and if doesn’t agree, we will continue with any proposal he puts forward since all of us, the northern governors are loyal to Buhari and whatever he says, God willing we will do it. All of us who were present in that meeting, none of us will disagree with Buhari if he says anything. But we discussed among ourselves, seeing the situation the country, and agreed to present that proposal.

“I am not in a position to withdraw until I hear what Buhari says. If he says we should go ahead with a contest, we will go ahead. If he says we should withdraw and take the candidature to the south, we will do so and be in the vanguard to convince others from the north to drop their ambition because Baba says it should go to the south. However, if Baba said we should continue we will continue.”