Being my acceptance speech on being chosen as the running mate of the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the 2023 Presidential Elections in Abuja, Nigeria, on July 12, 2022.

Protocols:

My first duty, is to first of all acknowledge the position that His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari occupies, in the remarkable history of our great party, the APC; as well as the role he has played, in the history of our dear country, Nigeria.

Secondly, I must also firmly underscore the remarkable political journey of our leader, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His incredible vision and strength of character, have helped us to the point where our party evolved to, as the giant of the Nigerian political scene.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, we are lucky indeed, to be standing on the shoulders of these two remarkable political titans.

There’s no weight I carry very carefully, as much as the burden of trust, and learning from public servants, who never take the expectations of the public, for granted. I’m standing here today because of the benign testaments of those who believe in me—those who crawled so that some of us could walk, and those who walked, for others to run.

The successes of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the past two presidential elections, were not magic shows. They were rewards for our foresighted, and pragmatic decisions, to sacrifice our personal interests and sectional sentiments, for the overriding prospects of our Great Party. We are again on the cusp of history, and left with no option, other than collaborating assiduously again, to pursue the collective interest of APC’s stakeholders, across ethnic, religious, and regional stations.

Having led us through two successful elections, and resisted the bait to impose a successor, President Muhammadu Buhari remains the man of the season; a leader who must be remembered, for passing the torch to the choice of the party’s majority, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. My emergence as the running mate of the inimitable Jagaban Borgu, is based on the party’s very forthright assessment of the threats ahead; and I’m most honoured by the consensus of the distinguished stakeholders of our party, to trust me, with representing the nation’s interests, under the leadership of the very sage, the youths all over our country, fondly refer to as “City Boy”, in honour of his cosmopolitan profile.

Our public-spirited Progressive Governors, have also demonstrated why they are the backbone of the party. There can’t be enough words to quantify their sacrifices; we acknowledge the fact, that they are responsible for this spectacular structure, that offers us a palpable electoral advantage, over our opponents. Whatever supremacy we attribute to the APC, is owed to the commitment of our Progressive Governors. Like most of us, they submitted to the supreme interests of the Party, to guarantee our success in the forthcoming elections, and the immensity of these sacrifices, calibrates their wisdom and sensitivity, to the myriad of opponents we are going to face, in 2023. I’m here today, because of their wisdom; and I’m therefore grateful, for their perception of the task ahead, as one that can only be executed, through meticulous collaboration, across board.

Today, I must also testify to the cyclical nature of history. But, like those before us, we must resist the temptation to throw a feast, over an invitation to serve the people. We must always take the past as our finest teacher, one never to be taken for granted. This would guide our staring into tomorrow. I’m not unaware of the difficult political arithmetic that produced this moment, especially the understanding of our great Party’s stakeholders and supporters, across religions, regions, and ethnicities. Their resolve to settle for this ticket, is a testament to the faith they have in us.