Nigeria’s former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday revealed he is not desperate to be president of the country.
The Waziri Adamawa said this while fielding questions from journalists shortly after his meeting with the Benin Monarch, Omo N’ Oba Ewuare II in his palace in Benin City.
He added if he was desperate to be the nation’s president, he would have long achieved it and would not have stepped down for late Chief MKO Abiola, winner of the annulled historic June 12 1993 presidential election.
The former vice president on Tuesday visited Oba of Benin to seek royal blessing for his presidential ambition.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential hopeful said he is fit and qualified to contest because he has all it takes to place the country on the right part.
“I am not desperate and if I were desperate, I would have taken the presidency in 1993.”
He said: “What do you expect my critics to say. There is nothing wrong in entering the race. I can run as many times as possible. I am fit, qualified. I still have ideas that I believe can put this country on the right path.
“I am not desperate and if I were desperate, I would have taken the presidency in 2003. If I were desperate, I would not have stepped down for Abiola.”
Atiku said his decision to contest for the position of the president was borne out of his desire to improve the lots of Nigerians, promising that he would remain in the (PDP) if he was not given the ticket to run in 2019.
