Former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun has promised to prioritise human security, as a “fundamental principle”, if elected president, in 2023.
Amosun made the promise, Thursday, in Abuja, while formally declaring his interest to contest the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to him, “Putting human security at the forefront and approaching human security as the directive principle of state policy would imply that the two dominant goals of my leadership would be national security and economic development”
He added: “Today, I am formally announcing my candidacy for the presidential ticket of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, and the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to him, “I do so conscious of the immensity of the tasks that lie ahead in our country and the magnitude of the sacrifices that anybody who wishes to lead our country into the next phase must make.
“This is to honour a historic call and duty to lead the next phase of our collective journey to national glory. It is a duty to reenergise our faith in the future of this country even in the face of the threats to our national sovereignty by insurgents and terrorists; a duty to renew hope in our collective destiny even in the light of some doubts expressed and mobilised in some quarters about our shared fate.”
The event which was attended by his wife, Olufunso Amosun, the representative of the first lady, Aisha Buhari, as well as the governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, also witnessed lawmakers from both chambers of the national assembly.
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Amosun’s declaration also brings to five, the number of APC presidential aspirants from the Southwest.
The national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu had set the ball rolling when he declared his intention to run for the office of the president under the party, on January, 10th, this year.
Incumbent Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, later announced his intention to also run for the same office, while on Wednesday, Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi also declared for the same office.
In the same vein, Tunde Bakare, a pastor, also on Thursday was at the International Conference Center ( ICC), Abuja to pick his nomination forms to run for presidency on the platform of the APC, completing the number of Southwest APC members who are currently eyeing the seat.
Amosun believed that his “wide range experiences in both private and public life, in political parties and political alliances, in two of the three branches of government in Nigeria, have imbued me with the requisite insights, the political vision, a deep understanding of the nature and strengths of Nigeria’s diversity, economic management capacity, and an extensive network of relationships adequate to provide a leadership that will galvanise our dear country to achieve her manifest destiny as leading nation, not only in Africa, but in the black world”
The former governor, who is now a senator, stated that he had spent the last seven months consulting professionals on how to tackle the nation’s problems, which has prepared him for the tasks ahead.
“Our efforts will be focused on series of urgent tasks, including; transitioning to a post oil economy, building a modern, sustainable and rapidly rising agro-industrial economy”
He posited that economic growth will hover between 7 and 10 per annum, over the next four years, to provide for the nation’s population. He also promised to reduce the national debt profile to attract investments inflow, stabilise inflation at less than 10 percent.
