A top Presidency source has on Wednesday, revealed to Page 36 that the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, is indeed the anointed 2023 Presidential Candidate that President Muhammadu Buhari talked about some months ago.
Recall, that the President when asked some months ago about who he would love to succeed him, come 2023, responded that if he revealed the identity of the individual, the person will be killed.
Recall also, that the President’s statement sparked a lot of rumours at the time, with many names of some close Allies of the President flying around as the Politician he was referring to. Some of those names had included the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Aamechi, as well as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who have both now declared for the 2023 Presidency, under the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Among the names been thrown around at the time, the Minister of State for Education’s name was barely in that conversation.
However, the close source in the Presidency who confided in Page 36, recalled how the Junior Education Minister has maintained a very close and trustworthy relationship with President Buhari for many years, even before he appointed him as a Junior Minister in his cabinet in 2015.
The source also stated that considering the outcry for a President from the South-East, come 2023, for equity, justice and fairness, President Buhari is seriously looking in that direction, and the only person he can fully trust from the region to handover to as the next President of the country, is Emeka Nwajiuba.
Nonetheless, this is not official, as the President nor the Minister have not spoke out publicly to confirm this. So, we will have to watch and see how the APC Presidential primary election plays out, and who becomes the flagbearer of the ruling party, to face whoever emerges as the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s, PDP, Presidential Candidate for the 2023 general elections.
Meanwhile, the Minister has tendered his resignation, after the President gave an order that all cabinet Ministers interested in any Political Office in 2023, should resign before Monday, 16th May, 2022.
He was the first Minister to quickly and confidently turn in his resignation after the announcement had become public, and this further gave some truth to what our source in the Presidency said, that indeed he may have the backing of the President to succeed him, come 2023.
More news later…