Fayemi declares presidential bid, says it wasn’t an easy decision

Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti and chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), has declared his intention to run for president of Nigeria on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Fayemi declared his bid at an event in Abuja on Wednesday.

The governor said he did not arrive at the decision to become president easily.

The presidential hopeful said he consulted with Nigerians at different strata of society before declaring his bid.

“Being coordinator of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) and two-time chairman of the NGF, 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 our fatherland,” he said.

“It has been my singular honour to have been an active part at various times with other compatriots from various walks of life labouring for a sustained national progress.

“Dear 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 in all sense of responsibility, to solemnly declare to all within our party and Nigerians at large the decision to accept my name to be put forward for consideration by the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership as the standard-bearer in the upcoming contest as successor to our leader President Muhammadu Buhari.

“This is not a decision which I have taken lightly. To arrive at this point I carried out a deep and long self-introspection with the help of my wife, Bisi, and other family members, and my friends.

“I have also traversed the length and breadth of our country to consult with our esteemed elder statesmen and women, traditional rulers, a cross-section of party leaders and rank and file members of our party and various no partisan leaders of thought and opinion.

“I embarked on these outreach visits without any prior assumptions of what they will yield nor with any sense of personal entitlements.”

Below are photos.