Sola Ojo, Kaduna

Running mate of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2011 election and Founder of Citadel Global Church, Tunde Bakare, on Monday, declared his readiness to run for the most covetous pubic office come 2023.

He also charged President Muhammadu Buhari to work hard on the legacy that would outlive him on a contrary to what is seeing six years into his right year’s administration as the democratically elected president of the most populous black country in the world.

This was coming at a time agitations were being intensified by groups and voices of reason from the South-eastern part of the country in the quest for the region to produce the next Nigerian President come 2023.

To him, President Buhari still has enough time to rewrite his name on the sand of time which he can only do if God delivers him from “bad counsels” and “bad counsellors” around him which have prevented a President from seeing and act on the realities in Nigerian streets other than lies he’s being fed with by those bad counsellors around him.

Bakare, who stated these while featuring as a guest on the Arise Television morning show noted that, as a Nigerian citizen, he has a fundamental right to run for any elective office under democracy if he chooses to do so and 2023 will not be an exception.

“Every Nigerian citizen who has the aspiration to add value to this country is on liberty so to do. It is my fundamental right to run if I chose to.

“I mean every word I spoke. I cannot fold my hand or say well, let me continue to watch. No.

“My support for former President Goodluck Jonathan then was more or less based on what the late Obafemi Awolowo said that days would come when someone from a minority will rule this country which happened in the time of President Jonathan.

“I am a citizen of this country born and feed here by the grace of God and I intend to contribute my quota.

“It is like a matter of life and death. If we have the right people I will support them. And if I offer myself and people support me so be it. I am not taken those words back. I have something to offer my country.

“But it all left for my country to say we want you because I cannot impose myself on them. I challenge right-thinking patriots to rise and let us join hand to fix our country. If God designs it that I will be the 16th president, in 2023, I’m ready. I’m prepared. I have no word to impress anybody. All I have is quality service and God who took David from the sheepfold to shepperd the Nation of Israel Has trained me for over 30 years to be able to add my value to this country”, he hoped.

On President Buhari, he said, “one of the things I pray for President Buhari is that God should deliver him from wicked counsels and counsellors who tell him life is sweet and that everything is going fine but without giving him the reports from the streets.

“In 2015, it seemed as we have a long time. But, four years had gone and we are into the second year of second term administration which is going to end soon. Time is going and anyone who is thinking of legacy it is the best time to go into action – maybe two, or three things which people may see and say in the days of President Buhari, Nigeria took a giant trip in these three areas.

“Without that, it will just be like he came twice – first as military head of state and second as democratically elected president without much being ascribed to him the as the achievement of his administration.

“President Buhari still has enough time to leave behind an enduring legacy. He can still do a lot between 2021 and 2022 because 2020 is already running out”, he added.