TheCable

Rotimi Akeredolu, governor of Ondo, says the southern region must produce the next president of Nigeria.

Akeredolu said this on Thursday when he received Bola Tinubu, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Tinubu was in Ondo to meet with APC delegates on his presidential bid.

Commending the former Lagos governor on his efforts for the party, Akeredolu advised the delegates to choose an aspirant with “competence and capacity”.

“Your visit is different. We must be able to accept the fact that asiwaju has done a lot. No doubt, we have noticed that Asiwaju has crisscrossed the length and breath of this country,” the Ondo governor said.

“And let us all be frank to ourselves. His reach is not something you can get easily — his reach as one of the founding fathers of our party. Many aspirants have been here, but his reach has also made it possible to have one of the special assistants to the president here. That will speak volumes.

“We have said it on the people’s behalf severally. The presidency of this country must come to the south. We are not mincing words. The governors in the south-west have spoken. By the grace of God, some of us believe that the train of this country must have a smooth ride.”

On his part, Tinubu commended Akeredolu for setting Ondo on the path of economic prosperity, adding that for Nigeria to progress, there is need for citizens to be united.

“To rebuild is not easy. We created APC. I’m one of the founding fathers of APC and I’m not sorry about it — I am very proud of it. What has been missing in this country is the spirit of unity and the brightness of hope for all of us. The same blood runs in our veins,” he said.

Tinubu also said if elected, he would support Ondo to build on its resource potential, including the establishment of a seaport in the state.

“A seaport is a very capital-intensive matter. Unfortunately, the country has no long-term money except short-term funds. We have to find investors and partners and build a seaport for Ondo state,” he added.

“What we need is a can-do attitude — a leader who thinks.”

Meanwhile, Akeredolu’s comment on the presidency comes hours after Abdullahi Adamu, APC national chairman, said the party will look into zoning after the screening of the presidential aspirants.