Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi on Tuesday declared his intention to President Muhammadu Buhari to contest the Presidential ticket of All Progressive Congress (APC).
On Monday, former Governor of Lagos State and National leader of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu also informed President Muhammadu Buhari of his intention to run for the President of Nigeria in the forthcoming general election next year and to succeed him.
When asked about his capability to lead the country, Governor Umahi expressed confidence in his ability to replicate, at the federal level, the feats he accomplished as governor of Ebonyi State if given the opportunity.
On whether President Buhari has anointed him, Umahi said that “Mr president is a father. He believes in giving everybody equal opportunity to exercise interest, and so I am sure we will expect Mr president to be a man of integrity.
“He told me people who have to run for the president must consult widely and, of course, he told me stories of the numbers he met and with determination and God’s will, God brought him at a very critical period of the Nation’ challenges.”
Umahi who hailed from South East Zone a region that have been clamouring to rule the country since 1999 when Nigeria was returned to democracy, said that the presidency should not be a matter of ethnicity or region, and added that Nigerians need someone who is inclusive and has the right attitude and character.
The country need a person who will look at the entire country as his own constituency and this will be a plus for the unity of Nigeria.
He said, “I can’t deny the fact that there is a lot of sentiments to our people for inclusiveness in the politics of Nigeria, but the truth remains it is not going to be by force. It has to be by dialogue, by persuasion, and by sitting down with leaders of the country and making them to see reason. It is important that we don’t frighten any section of this county.
“It is not the Igbos that will decide who is going to rule the country. Nigerians are the ones to decide who will rule the country, and when people say the Igbo should come together, that is already a minus for the Nigerian society and project.
The project in view is Nigeria, and not whether there are twenty people from the South-East or not. This shouldn’t undermine the chances of getting someone from the South East if it is the wish of Nigerians,” he added.