Nigerians slam former minister after saying Tinubu should succeed Buhari as president in 2023
A former Minister of State for Works and Chairman of Southwest Agenda 23, Senator Dayo Adeyeye, has come under heavy criticism after saying the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu remains the best candidate to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, in 2023.
Southwest Agenda 23 is a think tank with the mandate of presenting a presidential candidate from the Yoruba people in Southwest Nigeria in 2023.
He said, “Tinubu is a good product that doesn’t need any advertisement and he has contributed greatly to the growth and development of the nation. He is a consummate democrat and progressive.
“We have three geo-political zones in the South, and all of them have the right to contest for the presidency. South West is interested to contest for the presidency in 2023. The person who can help us win this ticket is Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
“He has done a lot for Nigerians irrespective of religion and tribe. He has built bridges across the country.
“We gathered together to start campaigning for him. If we can hold our house together, we will have the presidency back in the southwest.”
However, Adeyeye’s comments are causing a stir online, with most Nigerians against the idea of Tinubu as president.
‘Lol, he will never smell it’ – one commentator wrote on Twitter.
A second penned: ‘I thought Jonathan was the most incompetent president, until we have Buhari now. Tinubu is dictator that is worst than the two. He doesn’t allow the will of the masses to prevail during primary and general elections. In sha Allah, people like Tinubu ll never rule Nigeria.’
A third was of the opinion that Tinubu once he became president, he won’t leave, he wrote: ‘Tinubu!, God forbid. Once president, he will own everywhere like Lagos and make us live like slaves. And i don’t think he will step down after his tenure. Rather he will try to elongate his tenure thru legislation.’
‘There’s no better successor for Buhari than Tinubu’ https://t.co/5SkReC67Q7
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) February 22, 2021
Nigeria has an unwritten agreement in which power is supposed to alternate between the Muslim majority north and the predominantly Christian south.
The current president, Muhammadu Buhari is a Muslim from the north, and by 2023 when he would have served his eight years, he is expected to hand over to a southerner.
This presents a bit of a complication for Tinubu as he is also a Muslim although from the more liberal south.
Many Nigerians have always expressed opposition to Tinubu’s ambition of becoming president. Some have questioned his source of wealth, accusing the political godfather of corruption and pocketing state resources. Others simply wonder what the difference is between Tinubu and Buhari whose troubled administration has seen the security situation in the country deteriorate and the economy almost completely mismanaged.
