Tanko Yakasai, a former aide to ex-President Shehu Shagari, has said Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President have what it takes to govern Nigeria.
Yakasai said both Tinubu and Atiku have the requisite experience and capacity to become Nigeria’s President in 2023.
In a chat with DAILY POST, the elder statesman, however, pointed out that Nigeria needs a president who can ensure unity, address the issue of unemployment, and other challenges facing the country.
Responding to a question on if Atiku and Tinubu are better presidential candidates, Yakasai said: “No doubt about that, even their background and experience is a testament to the fact that both of them can be the president.
“Tinubu and Atiku have a history of marching across the board in Nigeria. They have supporters all over the place. What the country needs now is a leader who will strengthen the unity among the people, address the problems of poverty, unemployment, insufficient power, lack of industrial hub, and ensure agriculture.
“So these two have the capacity, experience and if they agree to any one of them has what it takes to govern.”
He also stressed that Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, can’t break up Nigeria.
Yakasai insisted that Kanu can’t take the “Igbos out of Nigeria.”
He said: “In the first place, I regard Nnamdi Kanu as an irritant who is just trying to draw attention to himself. He is just trying to survive on the pages of newspapers; he has no base.
“If he has a base he would form a political party, let it be clear that nobody can take the Igbos out of Nigeria.
“With my experience and knowledge of Nigeria, I believe Nnamdi Kanu does not know that he can’t exchange the Igbos spread across Nigeria, they have a stake in Nigeria.
“There is no moving business in Nigeria other than the one in the South and you will perceive they are doing their economic activities freely.
“By 1970 after the civil war, the Igbos were only given 20 pounce as compensation but now they are among the leading billionaires in Nigeria.”
