The situation of Nigeria has gone beyond what “just anybody” can handle, former Minister of Works, Adeseye Ogunlewe, says.
Ogunlewe is of the view that the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is the kind of president Nigeria demands after Muhammadu Buhari.
“We need somebody who can think and who has paid his dues in the struggle for democracy,” Ogunlewe, who is an APC chieftain, told Arise TV.
WATCH: Ogunlewe tells Tinubu to run for president
“We are appealing to Tinubu to come out and participate to convince people that he is available to serve,” he said.
“That is why we are launching the Lagos side of his campaign on Thursday.
“He was ill and is recovering now but there is enough time for him to come back and tell us whether or not he will accept our call for him to run. He has not officially declared his intention to run but we think he is the appropriate person to run for president.
“We are preparing for the best candidate that will map out the structure of Nigeria for betterment. The calibre of the person must be very, very high.
“Tinubu has indicated his intention to contest by arranging with Buhari when they were negotiating. I don’t know the arrangement between them but there are indications that he is interested. He may decide not to run but we believe that he is capable of doing the job.
VIDEO: Tinubu’s campaign posters surface in Lagos
“I have been his greatest critic but now I admire him. He has been able to manoeuvrer his way through crises. He must be a great thinker to get to this level in Nigeria.
“I admire his courage, his dexterity. He’s a smart person and he has been like that for a long time. That attribute has been with him to be on top of everything. He’s extra-generous. He’s a careful person. He cares for people, he cares for his friends, he cares for the nation, he cares for the state.
“These are the things I’ve seen in him and I believe that if given the opportunity, he will do well,” Ogunlewe said.
