I Was Not Keen On Being The Presidential Candidate – Amosun Speaks On Reason For Stepping Down For Tinubu

The former governor of Ogun state and All Progressives Congress, APC presidential aspirant Ibikunle Amosun has opened up on the reason he decided to step down for the party’s flag bearer Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Recall that Amosun and some other presidential aspirants of the South including the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and former speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, had stepped down for the national leader at the party’s primaries in Eagle Square, Abuja.

Speaking on his reason for pledging allegiance to Tinubu, the former governor said the declaration of support for the South-West aspirant by the northern governors of the All Progressives Congress, prompted him to step down.

He revealed this while addressing his supporters on Thursday at the Alake palace pavilion in Abeokuta for a welcome rally.

Amosun stated that he was not desperate to be the presidential candidate hence it was easy for him to step down.

His words: “when I was declaring interest for the presidential seat two years ago, I had told my supporters that I was going into the race with 20 per cent interest while I would throw my support to anyone chosen by the party.

“let me tell you this, you sent me to Abuja to go and work for us, I told them when I addressed them why I wanted to be president of Nigeria.

“But my wanting to be president of Nigeria cannot supersede the interest of all of us in Nigeria, all of us in the south, all of us in the southwest.

“It got to a point that we realised that our brother governors from the North were even rooting to say they want the presidency to go to the south.

“Then, we say, if we want the presidency to come to the south, then, all of us, we must find a way to unite, we must find a way to drop all these personal ambitions for the overall interest of all of us in the entire south and particularly, the Southwest.

“But my wanting to be president of Nigeria cannot supersede the interest of all of us in Nigeria, all of us in the south, all of us in the southwest.

“It got to a point that we realised that our brother governors from the North were even rooting to say they want the presidency to go to the south.

“Then, we say, if we want the presidency to come to the south, then, all of us, we must find a way to unite, we must find a way to drop all these personal ambitions for the overall interest of all of us in the entire south and particularly, the Southwest.”