 As Bola Tinubu announces that he has informed President Mohammad Bahari of his decision to run for presidency in 2023, the ojanez indeed will fumes and alleges injustice. Of course, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria alleges that sponsors of violence are sabotaging the security of the Southeast region. This is Plus Politics. I am Mary Anacol. For the fight for the 2023 presidency, it has now taken off, taking a drastic turn as former Governor of Lagos State Bola Tinubu has announced that he has informed President Mohammad Bahari of his decision to run for the office of the president in 2023. However, the APC leader said he had yet to publicly disclose his ambition and he was still in consultations with various interest groups. However, the APEC's Ibu Social Cultural Organization has fumed against the development saying this declaration is against the rules of natural justice. In the People's Democratic Party also, a former Governor of Kanu State Rabiu Kwan Kwa So running for the presidency has said that he is also throwing his hat into the race. This is just as the publisher of Ovation International, Dele Mo Modu, and a former presidential spokesman, Doi Okope, earlier declared his presidential ambitions. What seems to have happened to the presidency agenda? A big question that needs to be answered while joining us to discuss this is Khalifat Obara and she is the Secretary of Swaga, also being joined by Aya Dele Adewale. He is the immediate past executive chairman in the local government area, Lagos State, and Odozi Odozi, a former president of Ohane Zindibu FCT Chapter. But I want to say thank you to the lady for joining us. Thank you for joining us. So the big question is obviously everybody now knows because there had been speculations as to if the former Governor of Lagos was going to run for presidency even though we had seen many people including your group and other groups asking that he run for this office. Now he has not necessarily publicly declared his ambition. He says he's still in consultations. But many people have also probed this his decision to join the race for presidency. What do you think that he has to offer that will be different from what you know the others are offering? First of all, I'd like to say that congratulations to all the pressure groups across the country from the Southwest agenda to women in Nigeria for Ashwajibola and Metinobu. A lot of them and all the others for the pressure they have mounted on the leader of the APC Ashwajibola and Metinobu to come out and contest and run for the presidency of Nigeria. I want to congratulate everybody. I also want to appreciate Ashwajibola and Metinobu for heeding to the call of all Nigerians, the masses, the women and everybody that has clamored over the last one year that we want somebody like him to contest for the presidency of Nigeria. Now we are going to be witnessing the entrance of an uncommon master strategist embedded with the gifts of identifying and nurturing talents. When you have the right strong general in front, definitely you will not have soldiers to work on the field. So this is what we believe that Ashwajibola is bringing on board. We know that he has a political will. I have always said that the political will is a problem that the leadership of this country has always had. Ashwajibola and Metinobu is going to be someone that will come on board to break barriers, to bring in new entrants. When you have somebody like Ashwajibola and Metinobu, we are talking about victory for the masses, victory for women. When Ashwajibola comes on board, you will be getting uncommon and competent work-tested hands to come and manage their affairs of this country. Ashwajibola and Metinobu will use the political will the way he has done in Lagos state. Today Lagos state has 57 local governments despite the fact that the constitution allows only 20. This is what I call political will. He has told the seven local governments to be LCDAs, to be able to ensure that grassroots politics really gets to the grassroots, really gets to the people, the divinous of democracy gets directly to the people. And he has stood his ground despite all the challenges we face for creating such local governments. It is only in Lagos state that you fight a BRT, where buses are running in the transportation sector to ensure that life is easy for the ordinary man, for the common man. Ashwajibola and Metinobu will be bringing in something very, very different, something uncommon, something unusual. And that is exactly what Nigerian is today. We need a visionary leader. We need somebody that is compassionate, that is passionate, and that has the capacity and the political will, the passion for the Nigerian people. And we are so happy, we are so excited that he has come out, even though he has not, he's still saying that he's consulted, but for him to have even been president of Ferai Poduk on Nigeria, which is the right thing to do. You have to go to the right chapter, you have to go through the right process, and this process is, you know, he has used to communicate with Nigerian people. We are really excited, we are happy, we are delighted that he has made his ambition known to the people, and we are happy that he has hidden some of the problems. I want to probe some of the things that you have said, because I ask that question to know exactly what he's going to bring that would be different from what we already have. You said something about a strong general, we already have that, and see where it's brought us. Do we necessarily need a strong general? What does a strong general bring to the table for Nigerians? I mean, we're bedeviled by insecurity. Just hold on, on one hand, I mean, in fact, every part of this country is experiencing some form of insurgence or deadly killings from all parts of the country. What does a strong general bring to the table? You also talked about the fact that he's going to come and break barriers. What sort of barriers is he going to be breaking for us? You also talked about him bringing a new entrant of sorts, and of course he's going to bring a new entrant for masses, he's going to bring child and tested international hands. These are all the things that we've heard before. The president that is sitting now made those same promises. He took him six months to give us a cabinet because he was waiting for people who were tested and trusted. How has that helped the average Nigerian today? So why should we get a tinibu if we already have a buhari in office? The word, the use of a general, is just an expression to express, you know, the kind of personality we are looking forward to see. Ashwajibola Mehtinubu is a different personality from President Muhammad Uwari. President Muhammad Uwari has done his best and of course you and I know that you can only do your best and leave the rest. He has done the best that he can do and he has tried a lot for Nigeria. And I believe that that is how far his capitalistic can take us and of course he still has over a year to finish his tenure. So we are expecting even much more despite the fact that people are coming out to, you know, express their ambition for 2023. And what I mean by a strong general, I mean that when somebody that has the right vision and the capacity and the passion to work is ahead, is leading, definitely you expect that the followers will also go in the right direction. Even in private establishments, in different workplaces, in banks or wherever you want to think about, once the leadership is right, I can tell you the followership will be right. And we have seen the example in the way he has led Laker State. And even as we speak today, we find that Laker State is the only state where the leadership is still consistent with the leadership that we had since 1999. You see that there is order, there is discipline and there is cohesion. Where you have that kind of leadership is a very good example for the nation. In most states in the country today, you will not find any state that is like Laker State where the leadership is still very, very consistent and they are very orderly. You will not see a problem in the Laker State of House of Assembly. Since 1999, we have not witnessed any and we don't expect... Well, isn't that a case of, isn't that because almost everybody in the House of Assembly in Laker State are in the APC? Of course, you have the Robustab Legislature. Yeah, you can say so. And that is because we have the right leadership in Ashwajibola and Metinongu. That is why Laker State is still what it is today. And you have seen the momentum, a lot of progress has been made in Laker State. The succession of the leadership, the governance that we have had over the years, we find that most of them have performed exemplary well. Ashwajibola Metinongu is somebody that does not believe whether you are from Laker State, you are from Igmo State or from anywhere. It's only Laker State when you find a commissioner that is from the East. It's only Laker State when you find a commissioner that is from the North. Are you very certain about that because before you say? Well, I want to dispute that because it's not just Laker State that has other people, outsiders as members of their cabinet. Cross River State is also an example. We've also had the same example recently in Igmo State, so check this stats. As far as I know, I live in Laker State and I'm familiar with Laker State. And I believe that this is somebody that believes in capacity of individuals, irrespective of the affiliation, your religion, your ethnic, background and whatever you want to think about. So we believe that with Ashwajibola on board, we are going to get the best of it. Ashwajibola is somebody that can take a decision that you would think this can never be and then it will be. If somebody that does not mind whatever it takes to get the right result, he will definitely get the result for us. We have dreams of the dream of our dream and we believe that with Ashwajibola Metinongu on board, this is the time we are going to get the result we have always wished and that we have always hoped for. Well, being joined by Comrade Adiwalé, let me throw the next question to him. The former governor of Laker State has been quoted to say that there are no rules in aspirations because many asked him that aren't you comfortable enough with being a kingmaker? And he said that there is no rule book that says a kingmaker cannot wear a crown or throw his hat into the ring to also be made a king. So in this case, he wants to wear the crown. Why do you think that, because she's given me a lot of reasons why she thinks that Dabola Metinongu is the man for the job, but I'll ask you, why do you think he's the man for the job? Well, good evening. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for having me. First, I would say that people wear the shoes, you know, wear the peaches, and for us too, I think we've decided at this time to throw himself into the ring in South Virginia, the country, picking it from where President Warke had stopped. It's a very good thing for us in this country because we have demonstrated it, not only in the private sector, but we are also demonstrated in government. We all know how old we just was, pre-1999, Australia economy, where that made us for the new cleaner about 600 million per month. As soon as you came on board, we locked the revenue system, was able to flood off leakages, and by the time he was leaving it, we did that I think it was over 14 billion per month. If you also remember that in Lagos, we had mammoth of rescues all over the place. I see why it was ingenious enough to make that a history. We were able to bring heads of industry service outside of the diaspora and within a young entry to get a job to put up a roadmap for legal states, and that roadmap also presented social governance that have worked with the roadmap and we can see where it was. That's why it's very important. You saw what we also did in the government. Mobile was able to block it. Mobile was just a tenant in a building that was just opposite the CNS library. Today, mobile, for example, mobile have an address that they call their headquarters in Victoria Island. We do similar things in case in our system. Here in Lagos, and beyond that, we will not take that away from them, but if not for a sure use effort and that for all of civil society members and of course Nigerians that fought against the military contact with democracy that we are celebrating today, that we are all enjoying today, even if we don't take it as the elder rather yet, would not have been in place. So if we have decided after learning from outside the field of play and within the legality of it, both private, both 20 years and put up a plan to continue somewhere for them to work. I think we're having connection issues with you, Comrade. I think we're having connection issues. You're going in and out, but if you can hear me, I'm just going to throw in a question or rather a comment. You've just been telling us about giving us the scorecard of the former governor of the states. Of course, these are scorecards that maybe many other governors might have, but what does he have to offer the people? Projects, infrastructural development is a must. It's part of the duty of a person who decides to run a state or a country. What else is he bringing to the table? This is what I'm waiting to hear. What he's going to bring to me is a political camp and I see no right moment here at the sheer of speed in that time to receive any financial institution, as well as those who have been involved in walking around the economy, to make sure that these debts are not only paying, but of course, infrastructure and more. I'll take you back to 1999, and of course, in the year 2000, when Ashwagy decided to embark on a creation of an alternative energy source to power Legos and all of that, despite the fact that the Baselby administration tried to stop them, remember the N1 project that Ashwagy embarked on to make Legos independent to the extent that they're producing their own energy. Today, the Delta State government is celebrating independent energy source that they are using to power their secretariat. In fact, the company that produced that energy for Delta State happened to be a company that is owned by a friend of mine that would do it together and an Indian. Now, what I'm saying is Ashwagy has not embarked on that voyage. I think by now, the energy stream of Nigeria is to be limited to the federal government. Interesting. I'll show you who bring that on board to make sure that we solve our energy question. Okay, I'm going to have to put a plug, pull the plug on you for a bit. Let's see if we can get you out and bring you back in because we're having connection issues with you. But I'm throwing this back to our lady guest. Let's look at some of the allegations that have been leveled against the former governor that are still in view as we speak. Of course, he's declared his intention. These things will obviously come back up to catch air. Many have said that there are potential banana peels on the way for him, and that this might bring some form of a tumble and a fall as he continues on this journey if he decides to follow it through. The first issue is, of course, is educational qualifications or lack of it, which has refused to go away, like I said. Many of these things will keep creeping back up. And so many people are saying this might haunt him big time. The question is, did he really attend Government College, Ibadon, as he claimed? What evidence can he tend to support the claim where his contemporaries for years had, you know, and he had spent his whole time? So these are some of the questions. Do you think that he might have the answers when he decides finally that he is running or if he becomes a flag bearer of the party? These allegations are still hanging. If he had issues with his qualification, he wouldn't have been a Governor in the first place. Neither would he have been a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So we would not be joining issues with people who have little or nothing to offer, who wants to pull people down. So we believe that Ashwaju has all the necessary and required qualifications that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria requires to contest and be the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. There's also an EFCC case that's pending. Of course, it's been asked to come and testify. Of course, the CCB had been on that issue. It's still a lingering case. These are cases that will still come back. EFCC case of what year? Go ahead. As funny as it sounds, these are issues that will keep cropping up. Everybody wants to know what exactly happened, especially the qualification issue. You saw what happened with the President. At some point, the SSC here in Nigeria had to give the President a certificate of sorts, backdated. This will definitely crop up in the process of things. But let's put a pause on that. Let me come back to the issue of those that he will be running against. We've seen, like I said at the beginning, the likes of a Kwankwaso who has the Kornos. We've also seen and heard rumors of the Secretary of State Governor who might be interested. An array of so many of them. Does he stand the chance? Of course, the issue of zoning still comes to play here where people are saying, well, the power must come to the South. But we also have a Vice President who's also a member of the political party. What does that do to the structure of the APC here in the Southwest? Well, all those names you have mentioned were also speculations. Now that Ashwajibola Mehtinubu has come out to say that he wants to contest, that he has the interest to contest to be the President of Nigeria, it is those that now come out after this declaration that we will know that they are real contestants. So all those names are still speculations from today on. We'll start counting those that are really going to contest. But I can tell you that with the entrance of Ashwajibola Mehtinubu into the race, some of those names that Nigerians think will contest will not come out to contest anymore. Okay. Now, many Nigerians seem to be really vexed. Some are excited. We see a split, you know, majority of people either for or against his declaration or his intent declaration. And we want to quickly go to social media to take some of those reactions and then we'll let you speak on it. We'll just run them on the screen. Some people are saying that, look, the President who is now in power was helped and backed by the former governor and the display or rather the things that have been done under this administration are not necessarily palatable. So why should they allow the man, the kingmaker, now who has declared his intent to run for that same office? Somebody here is saying that if you are campaigning for Atiku, you shouldn't criticize those that are campaigning for Tinibu. There's no difference between both. Both are old. Both have been at the realm of affairs for years. Both were too desperate to ignore Bahá'í's incompetence just for the agreed. Okay. First of all, let me take it from the first one. Don't forget that Ashwa Jubola Metinobu was one of the champions that, you know, campaigned for President Muhammad of Wari to come on board. And we all know that PDP had 16 years of democratic rule of this country. And we all cannot immediately forget the rots that Nigeria went through under that leadership for 16 years. So APC is the new and the fresh breath in just about six years. How fresh is that breath and how has that fresh breath helped us? You're talking about the PDP who's been here for 16 years. Should Nigerians, hold on, should Nigerians be waiting? Hang on, just hang on, hang on. Should Nigerians wait for another 16 years to be able to tell if the APC is also as terrible as the PDP? So what case are you trying to make? What I'm trying to say is that Nigeria had a lot of issues in the last 16 years of PDP. And APC had a lot of cleanup to do. So have they cleaned up? Have they been able to address any of those issues that you're talking about? One of which is the rail system has started working in Nigeria. That is a problem. What do you want invested? It's the rail a problem for you, our members of your constituency, the people who are in Swaga. It's the rail system a major problem for you. Compared to the insecurity that we're facing. Is that really a problem? I'm not asking if it's a necessity. I'm asking is it a problem in the hierarchy of things that you as a Nigerian would be itemizing as a problem? Is the railway a problem for you, compared to the insecurity that we're facing? It has added to transportation system in the country. Of course it has added to transportation problem in the country. The APC-led government has helped in a lot of corruption in the country as we speak today. We find that all those millions and a lot of money that ESCC has recovered today is from all the people that worked with the PDP-led government. Have those monies been accounted for so far? Those monies that the government the corruption and the monies have they been accounted for? Maybe if you get across to the economic and financial crimes commission they will be able to tell you how far they have been. Should it be a secret? If monies are recovered should it be a secret or shrouded in secrecy? Do I necessarily have to go to the EFCC to find out? A financial crime commission is an independent commission that should be able to account for that. And the issue of zoning when you're talking about zoning in Nigeria is a northern and the southern thing. And of course most of the time we tend to focus on what divides us and act as if these boundaries cannot be traversed, as if these affiliations are the very source of our humanity. Before all this ethnicity, religions, background and everything we are first humans and we should first of all look at the human being, the personality and the person we are talking about beyond our affiliation. I hope you are still there. Yes I can hear you. All right. And if you are talking about the age as well, there are so many countries where people that are over 70 have led. Even in America today we know Joe Biden, we know his age. Before my presence of America, a lot of other countries even in Africa. I do not know if there's a basis for comparison of President Joe Biden with any politician in this country. We do respect all our politicians. Zoning or age or whatever. We believe in Ashwajibola and Metinugu. We believe in his leadership that witnessed it before in Lagos state. And we believe that it's going to bring the rest on board from Nigeria. All right. Well, just being joined by Modozi, he is one of our guests. He was having trouble joining us. Modozi, I want to quickly ask you because we're running out of time. Your group, the socio-cultural group has been fuming since the declaration by the former governor of Lagos state. And you're alleging that this is some form of injustice. How is this an injustice? I'd like to understand that. Well, Nigeria is built on a tripod. And as we're developing now, we're developing and having some other entities that are just bringing up to show their presence in Nigeria. Originally in the pre-independence and the immediate attack of independence Nigeria, the tripod of Nigeria was the east, the west, and the north. And just in the, since 1999, in this expensation, we've seen the pendulum of leadership swing from the north to the south. But Basinger, after his eight years, took the leadership to Kasina, the current president's home state, and the Umar Yaranadua was produced as a president. But unfortunately, due to the mice and nature, he couldn't complete that tenor, good luck on the south to cover. And that's a good luck. Even during good luck, there was a, there was a clamor for power to return to the north. And this power, it turned to the north. We also, during good luck. And I had a special grace of God next year, to be eight years since General Mohammed Bual came into the Sahara as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Now, as the team is swinging to the south, it is quite epitome that somebody from the southwest, the person of Bola Amer Tinubu, Asiwa Juni, the Jagaban of Nigeria, a region that has produced a president for eight years. But there is, he's not committing a crime. There is no law that is against anybody in the south running. So why is it an injustice? It is his constitutional right. Exactly. But for equity and justice, there's a difference in justice and the law. Now for equity and justice, most allowable. When you say allow, isn't that the hands of the people in the southeast are tied because I'm trying to understand, I'm not attacking you. Is anybody stopping anybody from the southeast to join this particular presidential race? We expect, we expect a solidarity from characters. Has, has there been talks? Has the southeast, the Asian, the southeast, southwest and the south south for this unity to happen? If, if, as I talk to you now, I'll get down to the level of saying, it's a mischief on the part of the, the, the revered Jagaban to contest for this president, because even his sociocultural group, Afenifere, have shown their, their, their displeasure with their own sons gasping for this position when the south is coming for it. At this point, Tinubu is breaking the, the, the little, the little fabric holding the unity of the south by this action. I'm telling you the truth. The, the little fabric holding the unity of the south is, is, is being engaged at, at this point because of the singular ambition. He has, the man has done good in Lagos. He has done well. But he says that this has been his lifelong ambition. So everybody's allowed to come to play, let the people decide why should this be called an injustice if all of us are allowed to come and play quickly because we need to round this up. I think that we lost that connection, but well, I want to say thank you to all our guests who have been part of the conversation. We appreciate your thoughts and your comments, but we have to go on a quick break.