JUST IN: Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila Moves Against Bola Tinubu’s Presidential Ambition—-The Genius Media Nigeria reports that the speaker of the house of representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has moved against the presidential ambition of old men ahead of 2023.
This was contained in his response to questions concerning the electoral bill passed recently that included direct primaries for all political parties.
He explained that the reason behind the passage of the bill is to allow young people have a chance in becoming the next president of Nigeria since the not too young to run bill was passed.
Meanwhile, it is no more news that the national leader of APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is being projected to be a consensus candidate of the APC in 2023 while Abubakar Atiku is nursing an ambition in PDP too. Both of them are of age already and their ambition have been met with great resistance.
Read Femi Gbajabiamila statement below
“We want everybody to participate in government, democracy is defined as the government of the people, by the people and for the people. The word PEOPLE is used three times in that definition and it doesn’t start from general election, it starts from the primaries.”
So why don’t we leave the process as it has always been, why Direct Primary?
“Because it’s been like that for a long time and it’s not helping our democracy. It’s not deepening our democracy. We passed the NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN bill which the President was very very happy to be a part of because he wants to encourage the young people but it’s just a bill on paper. You passed the Not Too Young To Run bill and at the same time, you closed the space against the Young ones you passed the bill for to run. You continue with your Indirect Primaries, how do you want the Young ones to get involved? Now they have a chance with the Direct Primary, we have opened up the space, they can get in and mobilize themselves and if they’re popular enough, they win the election. They are not dependent on any godfather.”
Am I fighting because Indirect Primary will not favour me?
“Let me tell you something very clearly and I’ve said it over and over again, the Indirect Primary is easier for me as far as my constituency is concerned, the Indirect Primary is easier for me but because I don’t want to be selfish, because I want to look at the bigger picture, I will always support Direct Primary.”
My Questions and Answers session with Journalists shortly after my meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa this afternoon.
