President Bola Tinubu has revealed that he almost withdrew from the 2023 presidential race due to doubts and pressure from those close to him.
The former Lagos governor disclosed this at a special Iftar held in his honour at the Presidential Villa on Saturday night.
He recalled an incident where a relative visited him late at night, complaining about the cash scarcity caused by the naira redesign policy.
The relative blamed Tinubu for the situation, saying even their wealthy uncle could not get enough money for basic needs.
This moment made Tinubu question whether he should continue his campaign.
However, he decided to push forward after receiving encouragement from his supporters, including Aminu Masari, who urged him not to give up.
He said:
“Those close to me know that the odds were against me. During the campaigns, one of them came to my living room around 3:30 a.m. and said he needed just N50,000 to buy foodstuff for our uncle.
“He told me, ‘The currency is gone because of you. People are jumping over bank counters because there is no cash. Our uncle, a wealthy man, doesn’t even have N10,000 in cash. What are you running for?’”
“I told him, ‘I am running for President, not for you and our uncle.’ I gave him the N50,000. As he walked out, he turned to me and said, ‘I don’t think you will make it.’ I replied, ‘I will make it.’”
The President disclosed that his uncle later called to confirm receiving the money but admitted that he had only given the messenger N10,000, keeping the rest.
“I was amazed. At that moment, I almost dropped the idea of running for President. But thanks to Aminu Masari and all of you who encouraged me. When I came to Abuja, Masari told me, ‘I am the Chairman of the North West Group; don’t look back’,” he said.
Tinubu said that he assumed office during a time of economic uncertainty and had to make immediate, difficult decisions, including removing the fuel subsidy.
He declared that there is no going back as Nigeria has reached a point of no return on the issue; fuel subsidy has come to stay.
“On the day of my inauguration, I had to decide on something not originally in my speech, and that was the fuel subsidy removal,” he said.
“The hallmark of a great leader is the ability to make the right decision at the right time. That was the day I declared that the subsidy was gone. The following day, I was hounded and thoroughly abused in the media. But I stood firm, knowing it was the right thing to do for our nation’s future,” he said.
