Tinubu Is Free To Contest In 2023 Elections – Sagay

The Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), says the National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, is free to contest in the 2023 general elections.

Sagay, a senior advocate of Nigeria, noted that the former Lagos State Governor is a potential presidential can­didate, who can lead the county very well.

Speaking with Daily Independent, Sagay said it was the turn of southern­ers to produce the next President to ensure justice and fairness and protect the unity of the nation.

He said: “Definitely, he (Tinubu) is free to contest. He is a potential presidential can­didate with quite a number of others. Yes, there is no restric­tion or obstruction stop­ping him from contesting if he wants to.”

Speaking further, PACAC Chairman noted that the APC must honour an informal zoning agreement to select its presidential flag bearer for the 2023 gen­eral elections.

Sagay said even though the agreement was not written, the founders of the APC agreed that the presidency would move to the South after the North had completed two terms of eight years.

He, however, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to be the one to determine his successor or come out openly to de­clare support for any of the aspirants.

He said: “He (Buhari) shouldn’t be the one to determine who will be his successor. There is a process in the APC such as primaries.

“Also in the APC, there is informal zoning. They did not write the agreement down but everybody agreed that after a northerner has spent two terms in office, a southerner will be nom­inated by the APC as the presidential candidate.

“So, it is the turn of southerners to compete for the nomination. The northern­ers would have completed their turn by 2023. This is just to ensure that there is unity, equity, and no zone takes the other for a fool”.

“So, my belief is that the president is going to ensure that the candidate will be a southerner. He may support a can­didate with his vote but I don’t think it will be proper for him to come out to say ‘this is the man I want to succeed me’.The aspirants, who are southerners, should be given a level playing field to contest for votes from people who will vote at the primaries.”