El-Rufai: I will contest for another office if Buhari insists

Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai has said he is taking a break from public office after his eight-year tenure but might reverse the decision.

El-Rufai in an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today said he has so much regard for President Muhammadu Buhari and will reluctantly agree to run for another office if the president asks him to do so.

When asked by Channels Seun Okinbaloye about the rumours of an Rotimi Amaechi/El-Rufai presidential ticket, the Kaduna governor insisted he was not willing to run for any office again.

“I’ve said over and over that I’m not a contestant for any office. I’m not aspiring for anything,” El-Rufai said.

“If Governor Rotimi Amaechi is interested in running for any office, he has the right to do so. But I’m not running for anything and I’m not going to be on his ticket.”

“I’m physically tired because I do take my work seriously. For the last eight years, I’ve worked myself flat out and I’m not young anymore,” El-Rufai said.

He said if President Buhari prevails on him to contest, he will first explain to him why it is not “such a good idea”.

El-Rufai, however, said he may run for another office if Buhari insists.

“I’ll be 63 next year. So I prefer to look at other options to contribute to the development of my country but of course, I didn’t want to run for governor but the President insisted. So if he insists that I do something I have so much regard for him and his judgement that I’ll do it even reluctantly.”

Prior to that, EL-Rufai disclosed that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 election will come from southern Nigeria.

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The Kaduna State governor, however, said the decision on which part of southern Nigeria to produce its candidate will be decided by the regional caucus within the party and believes the APC will win a lot of governorship seats.

Former Lagos State governor and APC chieftain Bola Tinubu from Southern West is among the party’s leading presidential hopefuls to clinch the party ticket.

Ebonyi State governor Dave Umahi and Senators Rochas Okorocha and Orji Uzor Kalu, all from the South East, have also indicated intentions to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.

READ MORE: APC to present southern presidential candidate for 2023 election – El-Rufai