Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti State has declared his intention to contest the 2023 presidential race on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Fayemi’s declaration which came after months of speculation took place at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja on Wednesday.
The Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum said he would entrench
good governance, ensure youth empowerment and national unity if elected as Nigeria’s president.
Bello is the full speech of Fayemi’s declaration
Protocols
1. I am highly honoured by your presence here today in such large
numbers to participate in this town hall event. Your presence reinforces my personal conviction that we are at a moment in the history of our country – and of the world at large – where we must, as a people, make the choices that will ensure that our nation is
able to prosper in peace, unity, safety and security in the comity of nations. Trying times such as we are traversing as a nation and which we are witnessing on a global scale can, if properly managed, be converted into transformatory moments that allow both for the achievement of a fundamental national reset and a major leap forward in our affairs.
2. The words that fellow Nigerians from various walks of life have spoken in recent times assure me that as a people, guided by the right leadership coalition, we are determined not to allow tough times to lead us either to lose sight of some of the gains of the six decades of our independent statehood or drive us into the cesspool
of a self-deprecating pessimism from which there are no exits. Instead, we share a strong desire to seize the moment and strive for a wholesome recalibration that enables us to build upward and higher in unity and unison. That is the Nigerian genius that the
world has seen displayed intermittently – though without always sufficiently understanding. Combined with an uncommon spirit of fortitude, this genius has helped us to defy all doomsayers and naysayers to triumph over adversity, anomie, and discontent. It is one reason for hope; it is also partly why, like my fellow travellers, some of whom are here with us in this hall, I am proudly Nigerian and will always remain one.
3.My own journey into public life has taught me that while we must never as a people be complacent about our circumstances, there is
also no noble project of national advancement that is beyond our grasp when we act as one with a clear vision and the requisite commitment. I began my journey into the public sphere in earnest as a student leader at the University of Lagos. It was at a time in our national history when we were all fired by genuine and well founded hopes of the heights to which we could soar as a leading actor in global African and world affairs. It was the time when the roots of my unshakable faith were sunk that our future as a nation, and our place in the global comity of nations, resides in the consolidation of our unity and cohesion. For it is out of unity and cohesion that we have always found the strength to transcend all barriers, defend our freedom and dignity, scale new heights, and provide leadership for Africa.
4. Beyond my early forays into the public sphere as a student leader, my abiding faith in the oneness of our country has been further reinforced by all my subsequent engagements in national affairs as a scholar/public intellectual, civil society voice and institution-builder, political organiser with an unapologetic pan-Nigerian and pan-African outlook, indefatigable advocate for human rights and democratic governance, two-term governor, federal minister, an active member of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, and two-term Chair of Nigeria Governors’ Forum. I have been privileged to witness first hand, the underlying commitment and sense of solidarity which Nigerians from all parts of the country share about the promise of the fatherland. And it has been my singular honour to have been an active part at various times of different detachments of the committed army of compatriots from various walks of life labouring with determination for our national progress to be both sustained and advanced.
5. Compatriots, it is in the spirit of this abiding faith in our country and the promise of its unfinished greatness that I stand before you today, in total humility and with all sense of responsibility, to solemnly declare to all our party cadres and Nigerians at large, my decision to accept for my name to be put forward for consideration by the APC leadership and membership as the party’s standard bearer in the upcoming contest for a successor to His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari. This is not a decision which I have taken lightly. Indeed, to arrive at this point, I carried out a a long and deep self-introspection with the help of close family, friends, and colleagues, including my wife and devoted partner, Erelu Bisi Fayemi. I have also traversed the length and breadth of our country to consult and explore with our esteemed elder statesmen and women, traditional rulers, a cross section of party leaders and rank and file members, and various non-partisan leaders of thought and opinion.