The All Progressives Congress (APC), presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked his main contender and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar to step down and endorse him ahead of the 2023 elections.
Tinubu spoke on Monday when he met with leaders from the northern part of the country under the umbrella of the Arewa Joint Committee for an interactive session.
He, however, noted, “You (apparently referring to Atiku) started from Uyo and now ended up in Kaduna and you are speaking to the North that you are the right candidate for the North; how do we reconcile that? You have lost the election.”
“It’s payback time. Let Atiku endorse me instead of campaigning in Kaduna. I supported him in 2007,” he added.
The former Lagos helmsman told the gathering that comprised the Arewa Consultative Forum, Northern Elders Forum, Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Jamiyyar Matan Arewa, the Center for Historical Development Research (Arewa House) as well as the Arewa Research and Documentation Project, that he was also one of them.
“I am one of you. Yes. I am a city boy from Lagos,” he added.
“As you are aware, security is a function of resources. I am committed to mobilising all assets within our national power to secure Nigeria.
“We did this in Lagos through many initiatives, especially the Security Trust Fund, through which we addressed many needs of our security forces which helped to sanitise Lagos State.
“As you may recall, when I assumed office as governor in 1999, the situation I met was basically a case of banditry where urban gangs ruled the streets.
“I returned law and order, tamed what could have been a huge ethnic war and made Lagos one of the safest states in Nigeria. I will replicate that across the country,” he said.