UPDATE: We Must First Complete What Buhari And I Started, Osinbajo Says In Official Declaration To Run For President

The Vice-President of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo on Monday officially declared to contest the 2023 presidential election.

“I am today, with utmost humility formally declaring my intention to run for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the platform of APC,” he said in a post on his official Twitter.

“At the direction of Mr. President, I have represented our country in several international engagements. I have been in markets, factories, schools, and farms. I have visited our gallant troops in the North-East and our brothers and sisters in the IDP camps.”

In a video posted on his official Twitter handle, Osinbajo said, “Dear Nigerians, for the past seven years, I have served as vice president under a true Nigerian patriot, a servant of the nation in war and peace and a man of integrity, President Muhammadu Buhari. We have together worked through some of the most difficult times in the history of our nation but we have remained focused on securing the country, providing infrastructure and growing our economy.

“As stipulated by the Nigerian constitution, our tenure will end next year. In this period of seven years, I have served the government in several capacities and I have at the direction of Mr President represented our country in sensitive high-level international engagements. I’ve been to practically all local governments in Nigeria; I have been in markets, in factories, in schools, farms, I have been in agriculture, mining and oil-producing communities in the Delta, in Kebbi, in Enugu, in Borno, in Rivers, in Plateau and Ondo and in all other states of the federation, listening to the diverse experiences and yearnings of our people.

“I have visited our gallant troops in the North-East and our brothers and sisters in the IDP camps. I have felt the pain and anguish of victims in violent conflicts, terrorist attacks, flooding, fire and other disasters.

“I’ve been in the homes of many ordinary Nigerians in various parts of the country. I have sat with our techpreneurs in Lagos, Edo and Kaduna, with our Nollywood and Kannywood actors, with our musicians from Lagos and Kano and I’ve spoken to small and large businesses (sic). I stood where they stood and I sat where they sat, I know their hopes and aspirations and their fears and I believe that in those hopes and aspirations are the seeds for the great Nigeria that we all desire.

“I believe that the very reason why the almighty God gave me these experiences, these insights, these opportunities is that they must be put to the use of our country and its great peoples, which is why I am today with utmost humility formally declaring my intention to run for the office of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the platform of our great party, the All Progressives Congress.

“If by the grace of God and the will of the people, I’m given the opportunity, I believe that first we must complete what we have started, radically transforming our security and intelligence architecture, completing the reform of our justice system, focusing on adequate remuneration and welfare of judicial personnel and ensuring justice for all and the observance of the rule of law, rapidly advancing our infrastructure development, especially power, roads, railways and broadband connectivity, providing an excellent environment for businesses to thrive, taking the agriculture revolution to the next level, especially mechanisation and developing the farm to table value chain, making sure that the government, its agencies and regulators serve the business community, creating a tech economy that would provide jobs for millions of young Nigerians, enhancing our social investment programme to a full scale social welfare programme, completing the promise of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within this decade, completing the task of ensuring that all Nigerians, male and female, attend school, reforming our educational system for relevance to the challenges of this sector.

Osinbajo had hosted All Progressives Congress governors on Sunday in Abuja.

He had hosted the governors for the breaking of Ramadan fast (Iftar) and declared his intention to them.