I’m tired of public life, I’ll only run with Amaechi in 2023 if President Buhari insists

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, says only President Muhammadu Buhari can force him to contest for an elective position in the 2023 general elections.

El-Rufai was speaking on a Channels TV programme Politics Today, which was monitored by our correspondent.

The former Minster of the Federal Capital Territory said having been in government for the last seven years, he was tired and needed to rest.

When asked if he was interested in becoming running mate to Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, in 2023, El-Rufai said such was not in his plans.

He however said he would not be able to say no if President Buhari insists that he contests, the same way he instructed him to vie for the Kaduna governorship seat in the 2015 general elections.

“I have said over, but I guess the trust in politicians is very low, so nobody believes me. I have said over and over that I am not a contestant for any office, I am not an aspirant for anything. If Governor Rotimi Amaechi is interest in running for the president, he has the right to do so, but I am not running for anything and I am not going to be on his ticket,” El-Rufai said.

“If the president asks me to run for an office, that’s a different conversation, I will have that conversation with the president and explain to him why I don’t think it is a good idea, but if he insists, I will. I am tired of public life, I am not tired of serving Nigeria, I am just physically tired because I do take my work seriously and in the last seven, eight years, I have worked flat out and I am not young anymore. I will be 63 next year, so, I prefer to look at other options to contribute to the development of my country.

“But of course as you said, I didn’t want to run for governor, the president insisted I should run. If the president insists I should do something, I have so much regard for him and for his judgement and I will do it, even reluctantly,” he added.