Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has said he is capable of leading Nigeria.
He said this during an interview on Channels TV’s Sunday Politics while responding to questions regarding his interest in the 2023 Presidential election.
“I believe I have what it takes to lead Nigeria,” Saraki said.
“I am not someone who shies away from taking up challenges. I am not someone who does not know the issues or someone who does not have the energy and vibrancy to address those issues.
“More importantly, I am someone that can reach out across the political divide, based on my antecedents. I am someone who can reach out across the ethnicity divide and across the religious divide”.
According to Saraki, those are essential qualities needed to unite the country as it is today.
While the former Senate President has yet to officially declare his intentions to run for President, he, however, said he is currently consulting and in due course, he will make an appropriate announcement.
When asked if there’s a strong possibility for him to run for the number one office, he said: ‘Yes, there is a strong possibility.
Also addressing the highly-debated issue of zoning, the former Kwara Governor said although it is a great idea, a more important point of focus should be finding the best person for the job.
“When you talk about zoning, yes, you must consider zoning but when we talk about zoning it can’t just be an issue of north/south because you cannot tell me that the southwest will say they are disenfranchised in the possibility of political office; neither can you say the south-south. But the reality is that the northeast north-central and southeast have not had Presidency or Vice Presidency. But what I’m saying is today, where the country is, with the challenges before the country, we must bring in other issues.
“We did it when we wanted to look for the National Chairman of our party. we went seeking for who we felt was the best that would help the party.
“There are people who can provide solutions to the problems of the country if you give them the opportunity,” Saraki added when asked for his closing words to the majority of Nigerians who believe that the All Progressives Congress and the People’s Democratic Party are both one and the same and may not be able to provide the change they seek.
“I think it will be unfair to use one paintbrush for everybody,’ he said. “But I can speak for myself that everywhere I have been, I have always left it better than I found it and there are many people also like me”.
