2023: Why I May Drop My Ambition For Presidency – Bauchi governor

Out of respect for his former boss, the governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, said he may drop his presidential ambition if the immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan, declares to run for the position.

Mr Mohammed disclosed this on Sunday night while featuring on “Politics Today” a programme on Channels Television.

The governor served as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the Jonathan administration. He was a senator when he was appointed minister in 2010.

After months of speculations, there are strong indications that the former president, who ruled the country on the ticket of the PDP between 2010 and 2015 when he was defeated by the incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari, may join aspirants under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the coming days.

Mr Jonathan, at a meeting with some youth on Friday in Abuja, asked them to watch out for his next political moves.

“Yes, you are calling on me to come and declare for the 2023 presidency, yes I can’t tell you am declaring, the political process is ongoing, just watch out.

“But the key role you must play is to pray that Nigeria gets a president that will carry the young people along and work very hard to see that some of the country’s problems raised are dealt with.

“I believe that collectively, we can work together,’’ the former president said.

But Mr Mohammed said if Mr Jonathan joins the race, it would pose a big problem for him.

“He is one of those persons I respect most in this country. He is the most respected person I have because I emerged and came to national limelight through him. Certainly I have come to establish a family relationship with him and to me, he cannot be in the race and I will be in the race, out of respect and modesty.

“I have given him enough time and he has urged me to go ahead and I have gone ahead and even gotten another burden now; the mandate of my elders to continue. So if Jonathan is running, it is a very big problem to me,” he said.

Mr Mohammed, who was ‘endorsed’ alongside former Senate President, Bukola Saraki as the northern presidential consensus candidates of the PDP by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) on Friday, said the outcome of the exercise has boosted his chances against other aspirants.

Aspirants

There are about 17 person jostling for the PDP presidential ticket. They include former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; a former Anambra governor; Peter Obi; Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike; ex-Senate president, Pius Anyim; and former Ekiti governor, Ayo Fayose.

The Bauchi governor, who dismissed the possibility of stepping down for Mr Abubakar, said he would be more than willing to step down for Mr Jonathan whether the former president is contesting under APC or PDP.

I don’t believe in zoning

The former FCT minister also said he does not believe in zoning but on the need to select the most capable hands for the seat.

“I don’t believe in sectionalism or zoning. I believe in Nigeria first. I believe that Nigerians should be given the opportunity to get the best, but put that aside about merit and rotation which is the key because we’re a federating entity country.

“We must look at how zoning came into being in PDP. I am PDP man to the core. I don’t look at this aberration or APC administration as having any effect on me as a PDP man,” he said.

The PDP has not publicly declared where it will zone its presidential ticket to. However, there are strong indications that the party may end up throwing the ticket open, a decision that may jettison its rotation tradition.

While stylishly advocating for the north to produce the next president, Mr Mohammed condemned the current Buhari administration, declaring it as inefficient.