Presidential aspirant, Bola Tinubu, has returned from Saudi Arabia, where he had gone for Umrah.
Upon his return, he took receipt of his All Progressives Congress presidential nomination forms, which had been picked up on his behalf by House of Reps members, James Faleke.
Tinubu had in January announced his desire to succeed the incumbent President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in May 2023.
He had told Aso Rock reporters that becoming Nigeria’s President was his “lifelong ambition” and that there was nothing wrong in a kingmaker becoming a king.
Already, Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello; amongst others have picked up the APC presidential forms while others are expected to follow suit in the coming days.
They include Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi; former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha; former Abia State Governor, Orji Kalu; amongst others jostling to be the flagbearer at the end of the APC presidential primary scheduled to hold at the end of May 2022.
In the Peoples Democratic Party, presidential hopefuls have also emerged from both the Northern and Southern regions in the last few weeks. They include former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose; ex-Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi; media personality, Dele Momodu; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed; amongst others.
The PDP’s presidential primary has also been scheduled for the end of May while Nigerians watch with rapt keenness as the two prominent parties elect their flagbearers at their conventions in four weeks’ time.