Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has declared that he does not have a preferred presidential candidate for the 2023 general election.
Obasanjo disclosed that his recent closed-door meetings with some presidential candidates and political parties were only for a national agenda and not to choose any candidate.
This was made known by Obasanjo after having separate closed-door meetings with former Military Presidents, General Ibrahim Babangida and General Abdulsalami Abubakar at their uphill residents in Minna on Sunday, August 28, 2022.
What former President Obasanjo is saying
Obasanjo after the meeting said, “I don’t have a special candidate for the 2023 presidential election but rather, I have a national agenda.’’
The former President also said he was in Minna to visit the former Head of State who had been indisposed.
He said, “I have come to see my brother who was indisposed and when he was abroad I had wanted to visit him but unfortunately, I missed him because the day I arrived in London to visit him was the day he left.
“So I said since I could not see him in London, I will come to see him in Nigeria and so, that is what I have come to do.
“He is special in a way and he was indisposed, so I had to come and see him. If there is anybody again who is special and indisposed that I have to see, I will see him. I am still strong enough.’’
Obasanjo also immediately after meeting with Abdulsalami Abubakar drove to General Ibrahim Babangida’s residence where they also had another closed-door meeting.
What you should know
- Obasanjo had in recent times been in consultations with the Presidential candidate of the Labour party, Peter Obi and that of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as well as other prominent political figures across different political parties.
- This has led to claims and counterclaims of his alleged preference of support for some presidential candidates in the build-up to the 2023 general election.