Alhaji Tanko Yakasi who is a founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum and elder statesman, has said that no Southern candidate can win the 2023 Presidency without the support of the North.
The 96-year-old elder statesman made this known in a recent interview.
He also revealed that he would support the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s presidential bid in 2023.
Recall that on Wednesday, Tinubu visited the elder statesman at his Abuja residence.
Though the former Lagos State governor, Tinubu is yet to declare his intention to contest any office in 2023, there have been reports and veiled indications that he might be interested in the exalted seat.
Speaking on Friday, 96-year-old Yakasai said he had earmarked two politicians to support for Presidency in 2023.
He also said that interested aspirants must first scale the hurdles of primary elections in their various political parties “then we will begin to compare them.”
On the choice of running mate for any Southern presidential candidate in 2023, Yakasai said, “Anybody from the South would need a Northerner to complete the ticket and anybody from the North would need a Southerner to complete the ticket otherwise you can’t win. Nobody can win an election in Nigeria without combining the two – the North, and the South.”
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had in October inaugurated the South-West Agenda 2023, a political movement mobilising support for Tinubu to contest the 2023 presidential election.
