2023: I’ll only step down for Jonathan if he declares interest – Bala Mohammed

Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has said he will step down his presidential ambition only for his boss, former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan provided he declares his interest to contest for the number one seat in the 2023 general elections in the country even if not in the same party with him. Mohammed made this known during a monitored interview with BBC Hausa Service by our correspondent.

He fielded questions on his ambition to contest for the 2023 presidential race. According to the former Senator who was also a former FCT Minister, the seat of the presidency is for all Nigerians irrespective of region, religion and political extraction, noting that he believes he has all what it takes to contest for the position. “I’ll only step down my presidential ambition to my boss, my mentor, the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, if he openly declares his interest to contest even if not in the same party, because I, so much respect him,” Mohammed declared.

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The governor added that Nigeria’s history of democracy will continue to remember former President Jonathan as a hero for his commitment to strengthening the country apart from his sacrifices and for ensuring that free and fair election prevailed.

When asked the reason for visiting Jonathan, Mohammed said he was at the residence of the former president, alongside members of his team, to seek for his blessings and inform him of his aspiration to run for the office of Nigeria’s President in the forthcoming election. “I visited him because he is my boss, my mentor in politics to seek for his fatherly advice and also inform him on my ambition for the presidential race in 2023,”he responded. He insisted that in his party, PDP, the Northern region was the most preferred region to produce the next president considering that the South West and South South have ruled the country for consecutive two terms respectively.