Dr Muiz Banire
‘South East unfairly marginalized, deserves chance to produce next President’ – Muiz Banire, dumps Tinubu, VP Osinbajo
Former National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Muiz Banire, has thrown his weight behind a South East candidate from the party ahead of the 2023 Presidency.
Dr Banire, the immediate past Chairman of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), made the declaration while snubbing his one-time political ally and former Lagos Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as well as, another Lagos APC chieftain, and current Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, who are all eyeing the 2023 Presidency, though the latter is yet to officially declare those intentions.
Banire, who was also a Commissioner during Tinubu’s administration as Lagos governor, threw his weight behind the emergence of a president from the South East, during an interview with a broadcast platform, revealed that he was not aware of Tinubu’s presidential ambitions.
The lawyer, however, denied that he had no issues if either Tinubu or Osinbajo had designs on the presidency in 2023, adding that they had full rights to aspire for the office.
“Apart from the purported declaration at the Villa in which he has always said he only came to inform the President but I am still doing consultations; I am not aware, as far as I am concerned, that he is contesting as at now that you are talking. I am not aware.
“It is very legitimate, all of them. The more the merrier. We need more people but for me, if you ask me; you know I will always support the younger ones. I prefer the younger ones for obvious reasons.
“If you go by my own threshold, he (Osinbajo) probably would not qualify too because I am of the view; just like Afe Babalola, that 60-year mark should be the threshold.”
Banire further expressed support for the principle of rotation and zoning of the Presidency to the South, noting that the South East has been unfairly marginalized and deserves a chance to produce the next President.
“I must confess to you. Up to about two years ago, I was not for zoning. I was for competence and merit. But because of certain developments that I notice in the country particularly the unfairness and injustice in the country; I felt there is a need for other regions to partake in it. So, I am more in favour of power shifting to the South now.
“If you ask me about micro-zoning, I might be beaten up because my tendency would be more in favour of South East on point of equity.
“My tendency would be for them because if you look at all the analysis; we have oppressed these people too much. Go and look at the hierarchy of all the people occupying all the various positions in this country today, before you get to the South Eastern people, it is a long way,” Banire states.
