2023 Presidency: Group Collects Signatures For Fashola’s Support
Members of a pro-democracy and human rights group, the Nigeria Peace Advocacy Group (NPAG), have commenced collection of signatures from those supporting the clamour for the Presidency of the Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), in 2023.
Confirming this to the media weekend was the convener of the group, Omolola Olukayode, who said, “we are targeting up to 5million signatures at least from the Nigerian youth of voting age and from the elders too,” insisting that, “Fashola would not be allowed to deny the 220 million Nigerians his services from 2023 as president.”
According to him, the hunt for signatures that would commence from Monday, February 7, would last till February ending when the public would be given the update, explaining that, “after that, the signatories would pick a date when the compiled stuff would be presented to Fashola with a cover letter inviting him to come out and agree to contest for president next year.”
Olukayode said that, “this BRF project is a national one that all patriotic citizens to get involved in, is for the good of the generality of the entire citizens of the country irrespective of their social standing, political leaning or religious affiliation,” disclosing that, several organizations have bought into the idea and already putting machinery in place to get involved in the signature collection exercise.
And truly, some organizations that spoke with our reporters across the country confirmed awareness of the initiative and their involvement in it.
Some of the groups’ representatives who volunteered comments on the issue were, Comrades Adewale Oladipupo Epe Youth Forum. Omobanke Razak, Labour & Workers Welfare Advocacy Centre, Prince Dare Aladekoba, Royal Peoples Platform, MacDonald Onuoha of Igbo in Active Politics, Hauwa Garba Magaji of North Youth Coalition for Fashola and Buhari Abdulkareem Haroon of North Central Alliance for BRF.
Our checks further revealed that this development is in addition to a mighty rally to be coordinated by a non-governmental coalition of Concerned Citizens for Nigeria’s Better Future (CCBF), that is already loading.
Recall that, as 2023 year of another general election moving closer and a lot of presidential aspirants have been showcasing their aspirations, a lot of political observers appear not comfortable that their choice, the Minister for Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) has not declared like others.
And that has made his name a recurring decimal in political discourse in the country today with a lot of groups, associations and organizations urging the minister to declare his intention to contest for president in 2023. The reasons for the agitation for Fashola, according to his lovers is borne out of the belief that he can do it better than some of those already declaring basing their conviction on Fashola’s pedigree and antecedents.
