By JOHN NWOKOCHA, Abuja

International business mogul vying for president in 2023, Barrister Prince Adewole Adebayo, has said that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed and confidants of President Muhammadu Buhari cannot succeed the President in 2023.

He said that it was clear that they have nothing better to offer to Nigerians, adding that everyone in Buhari’s government has exhausted his ideas.

Adebayo said it is unfair to Nigerians for Buhari’s confidants and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to vie for president in 2023. He based this on ‘moral baggage’ or ‘moral burden of Mr President’s men’.

His words: “TraderMoni scheme, N-Power, all those programmes kept under the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, there’s no accountability, none has been audited. And has not produce any outcomes.”

Adebayo said Buhari came to power on Messianic expectations, but failed to meet the hopes of Nigerians.

He said the Change mantra on which the government rode to power in 2023 has created more problems for Nigerians.

According to him, Tinubu is unfit because of his age while “Osinbajo is a deceit”. He said that both men are in Buhari’s government and that they have contributed no positive change in the lives of Nigerians.

Adebayo said that they therefore have no moral justification to ask for Nigerians’ votes in 2023, adding that they need to explain to Nigerians their roles in the APC-led government and tender public apology ‘for their failures’.

Although Osinbajo has yet to declare for president, his campaign posters and billboards are conspicuously displayed in major cities across the country.

Also, his Support groups are upbeat drumming support for the vice president. Osinbajo himself has neither denied the rumour over his presidential ambition, nor admonish his supporters for soliciting public support for him.

While Tinubu’s posters have flooded major cities of the country, he however, recently confirmed he would run for the office of president in 2023.

Last week, Tinubu met President Buhari in Aso Rock Villa after which he granted a press interview and disclosed his plans to contest for presidency. Tinubu’s support groups have been canvassing support for him ever before his plan was made official.

Following his declaration, the Nigerian social media has been dominated by posts on Tinubu’s presidential ambition, as his support groups are busy rallying public support for him.

The multi-party presidential hopeful, Adebayo also lamented that corruption in Nigeria got worse under the Buhari-led government.

According to him, contrary to believe and government’s claim that corruption is fighting back, the government has not fought corruption, because it does not have the will.

“Buhari came to power with the funds of corrupt people in his party. He surrounds himself with corrupt leaders of his party. How can he fight corruption, he queried. The government has not performed in seven years,” Adebayo emphasised.

He added that the government has disappointed Nigerians because of what he described as massive failures.

“Nigerians have moved from bad to worse,” he stated. “Insecurity is now worse with banditry and threats to human lives,” Adebayo insisted.

He said the government is acting like it has a franchise of running bad governance.

“Now the government has had seven years to put their Change in action. What we got from them is worse. The insecurity is taking the worse dimension in the name of kidnappings, banditry, killings all sorts of threats to human beings. And the infrastructure we have not seen. Costs of staple foods and basic needs are rising. Foreign exchange has gotten worse. It couldn’t have been worse than what it was before they came to power. And the government keeps giving an excuse that well, as bad as the APC government is the badness came from the previous government that is the PDP. And, we have in the opposition the PDP which admits without apology, that, we have a very bad government. But, they are only taunting us, that ok, we had a bad government. But, look at the one you replaced us with, is worse. So, let us come back and run another bad government. Because we have a franchise of running bad governments.

Buhari has left the general public guessing about his successor as the political tempo gathers momentum ahead of 2023 general elections. In a recent television interview, President Buhari said he won’t disclose his successor. Because he fears that if makes public the identity of his successor, he might be eliminated before the elections.

Adebayo who told News Express that he would be addressed as Comrade President when he becomes president in 2023, added he would transform Nigeria in the shortest period based on his experience and international connections, when asked to give a time line within which Nigerians will witness changes if voted for.

Although yet to announce the political party under which he intends to run, Adebayo hinted that consultations with coalition of parties and stakeholders are ongoing. He said the parties are planning a merger that will produce presidential aspirants eventually.

Adebayo spoke on power rotation, leadership of EFCC, generational power shift, where he derives his confidence from, Electoral Act Amendment Bill, among other issues.

Full interview coming later.

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