Former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, has said he would have been the President of Nigeria if he did not step down for President Bola Tinubu in the build-up to the 2023 elections.
He made the assertion during an interview on State Affairs, a podcast hosted by Edmund Obilo.
The host had made the claim in a statement he addressed to Fayemi during the interview and the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain had said yes affirming the submission.
Meanwhile, Fayemi recently drew comparisons between the approach of former President, Goodluck Jonathan, and President Bola Tinubu towards subsidy removal.
Speaking at the Oxford Global Think Tank Leadership Conference in Abuja, Fayemi was reported to have reflected on Nigeria’s economic policies, leadership values and the courage to make tough governance decisions.
Fayemi said Jonathan lacked the courage to implement the removal of the fuel subsidy during his administration despite the support of key stakeholders at the time.
According to him, contrary to public opinion, many of the governors in Jonathan’s administration, including himself, were in support of the removal of fuel subsidy but the then opposition party, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), was against it politically.
Fayemi criticised Jonathan for succumbing to political pressure rather than standing his ground on what he believed was an economically sound policy.
As Jonathan did not, Fayemi commended Tinubu for taking bold leadership to end the fuel subsidy on the first day of his administration even as it was met with economic and political backlash.
