What is your relationship with Obasanjo, and why do you keep seeking the presidency?

It’s a profound privilege to stride alongside our esteemed former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, into the vibrant celebration of WOTCLEF Foundation’s 25th Anniversary in Abuja. This moment is a testament to the unwavering support the Foundation has received from President Obasanjo. -AA #WOTCLEFAt25

Question: Why are you still seeking the presidency after several attempts and what do you say to Nigerians who believe it is driven by personal ambition rather than national service? Answer: I have said it several times that my interest in being president of Nigeria is to serve the country. Nigeria has given me so many opportunities to be who I am today. If God has given me the grace to return the benefits to the country, why should I shy away from that call to duty? If other presidents we have had offered better quality of leadership, I would have retired the ambition. But I cannot, in good conscience, decide to retire my ambition when I know that I have better ideas to offer in leading the country. If I were interested in personal gains, I would have been patronizing my opponents all these years. Such a decision would not be fair to Nigeria. I am in the race and persistently to offer service to the country.

Question: Why did you fall out with President Olusegun Obasanjo and did that political conflict harm the government and how do you respond to his subsequent criticism of you? Answer: There is a volume of editorial opinions concerning the working relationship between me and President Obasanjo. I believe the country has moved past those details and exchanges. The issues ahead of the country are far more serious than personal issues between two people. It is undisputable that the government that I had the privilege to run as deputy to President Obasanjo is the best era in the political leadership of our great country.

Question: Would you support zoning when it doesn’t personally benefit you and, if elected, would you support a Southern candidate to succeed you? Answer: I am not sure that there has been any politician in Nigeria who has made more sacrifice than me to protect the principle of power rotation. In the 1993 presidential election that produced the infamous June 12 crisis arising from the annulment of the presidential election, I withdrew from the race to create a path for the late Chief MKO Abiola to emerge as the candidate of our political party in that election. Similarly, in 2003, an overwhelming number of governors of the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) attempted to prevail on me to jettison my support for President Olusegun Obasanjo and, instead, run for president myself. I declined their offer; I believed it was contrary to the zoning principle. If I am elected president in 2027, I would raise the bar of governance in Nigeria. It will be certain that only people with credible credentials—either from the South or North—will be bold enough to present themselves to succeed me.

I believe the country has moved past the details and exchanges around that relationship. The issues ahead of us are far more serious than personal matters between two people. What I will say is that the government I had the privilege to run as deputy to President Obasanjo is the best era in the political leadership of our great country.

I believe the country has moved past the details and exchanges around my relationship with President Obasanjo - I won't relitigate the editorial back-and-forth over it. What matters more is this: the government I had the privilege to serve as his deputy is undisputably the best era in our country's political leadership, and the issues facing Nigeria today are far more serious than personal matters between two people.

I have the experience to lead this country, and that is what Nigeria needs now. I have done this work before. Nigerians elected me Vice President twice, in 1999 and 2003, and in government I led the reforms that returned loss-making government companies to private hands and opened our economy to private investment. I served Nigeria in the Customs Service from 1969 to 1986, and I have built businesses that today employ thousands of Nigerians, so I know how jobs are created. The two issues Nigerians care about most are restoring vitality to our economy and securing the country. My plan is clear: end insecurity, bring down the cost of living, create opportunities for every Nigerian, and uphold the rule of law. Nigeria has given me so many opportunities to be who I am today. If the presidents we have had offered better leadership, I would have retired my ambition. But I cannot, in good conscience, do that when I know I have better ideas to offer. The constitution allows a four-year term, and a second term is not an automatic entitlement. I am in this race to serve.

My interest in this race has never been about personal ambition, it is about service. I have said that if other presidents had offered better quality of leadership, I would have retired the ambition long ago. But I cannot, in good conscience, step back when I know I have better ideas to offer. I remain in this race, persistently, to serve Nigeria.

My interest in being President is to serve this country. Nigeria has given me so many opportunities to become who I am, and if God has given me the grace to return that benefit, I should not shy away from the call to duty. If other leaders had offered better quality of leadership, I would have retired this ambition long ago. But I know I have better ideas to offer, and in good conscience I cannot step back from that. I am in this race, persistently, to offer service to Nigeria.