By Dayo Johnson, Akure

The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Chief Olu Falae, has explained his position on the 2023 Presidency.

Falae, in a statement issued and signed by his Personal Assistant, Captain Moshood Adekunle Raji (rtd), in Akure, said he admitted saying that the South East had not had the opportunity of being Nigeria’s President.

He added that he “never canvassed or claimed to be supporting Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party for the 2023 race.

According to him ” Under a situation where the race is hotting up among candidates from the Western part of the, the Northern part of the country and the Eastern part of the country, it should be realised that two of the candidates put forward by the political parties in the county are from the South West, how can this national leader go against candidates that hail from his part of the country.

” I have said repeatedly that the Social Democratic Party, SDP has the best manifesto of all the political parties in Nigeria. And in the 2023 presidential election, the SDP Candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo is the best choice on the merit.

“He has a clear grasp of the issues and has offered the most realistic and effective solutions to the problems of Nigeria today. I urge Nigerians to rally behind the SDP and its presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo.

“I did say sometimes ago that the Yoruba, as a people, are not morally obliged to vote for an Igbo presidential candidate or Peter Obi because in 1999, when the rest of Nigeria conceded the presidency to Yoruba because of the MKO Abiola’s issue, it was only the Igbo, who did not accept.”_

“I had to defeat Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife in the Alliance for Democracy to become the candidate for the AD/APP Alliance. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had to defeat Dr Alex Ekuweme in the PDP to become a candidate.

” The Igbo were the only ones that opposed both of us in our respective parties; they did not concede to us along with other Nigerians. However, the Yoruba are fair-minded people and some of them could vote for Peter Obi.”_

Falae declared that “I have said times without number that the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has the most effective programmes for social justice and Nigeria’s recovery. I have endorsed SDP’s Presidential Candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo and not Peter Obi.