Yahaya Bello, the governor of Kogi State, should not be undervalued or overlooked by Tinubu and his cohorts when it comes to the 2023 general elections. To become the APC’s presidential candidate, Kogi State Governor could very well surprise Tinubu. Even from the outside, it seems like Tinubu’s primary political rival would be Bello.
Yahaya Bello has publicly stated that he would like to be the successor to President Muhammadu Buhari, who is currently in office. He’s not shy about his goals, and he’s likely to be the youngest Nigerian president since the country returned to democracy in 1999.
For two reasons, there’s a good chance that Yahaya Bello will be supported by Buhari.
Secondly, President Muhammadu recently said that, ‘no Lagos-based politician would be able to decide what occurs in the APC’.
As Mr. Nasir El-Rufai just turned sixty, he claims he doesn’t have a stake in the country’s next presidential election. However, the subtext of the governor’s statement is that APC may want to select a younger politician like El-Rufai for the ticket.
The ticket is up for grabs, and the party has the right to pick who will receive it. On the other hand, the fact is that the party might base their selection this time around on age. Additionally, Tinubu could lose influence if the party accomplishes this. The former Lagos State governor should be wary of Yahaya Bello.
The fact that Mr. Yahaya Bello is currently the governor of Kogi State is the second reason
Nigerians will recall that Yahaya Bello was named chairman of the APC primary election committee in Ondo State. After an exhausting round of interviews, Akeredolu was named the winner, with other candidates accepting the results. The workout was very clear.