President Buhari was non-committal when asked if he had a \u2018favourite\u2019 candidate in his party to succeed him. The president said he would rather keep the matter close to his chest, knowing that if he revealed his favourite, he could be taken out.\n

Although Prof. Osinbajo is yet to declare his intention to take over from his boss, many observers believe that both the president and the supposed cabal are rooting for the vice president.\n

After Tinubu\u2019s declaration, one of the groups supporting the calls for Osinbajo to contest the 2023 presidential election, said they remained unruffled by the decision of Tinubu to throw his hat in the ring for the 2023 presidency.\n

Looking Like Two-Horse Race\n

The chairman of the Public Opinion Leaders Group, a unit of The Progressive Project (TPP), one of the groups rooting for Osinbajo presidency in 2023, Shettima Umar Abba Gana said it is the beauty of democracy for many aspirants to show interest in a position. He, however, added that they won\u2019t be shelving their calls for Osinbajo to succeed President Buhari in 2023 just because Tinubu has also declared his intention.\n

Speaking further, Gana disclosed that though Osinbajo had not commissioned them to campaign for him nor has he openly declared interest in the race, the Vice President is their choice to become the next leader of the country and every other person had the right to support his\/her preferred candidate as well.\n

He said: \u201cWhat is happening is democracy, he (Bola Tinubu) wants to run, we want our own man (Osinbajo) to run. That is the beauty of democracy; we want our man to come out because we believe he has some good qualities.
\n\u201cIn a democracy, everybody has his own opinion, his own wish and his own vote. Let them come out and let us go to the field. Ours is that this man is good, let him come out and we\u2019ll support him. What we\u2019re doing has nothing to do with Bola Tinubu coming out or not, let him come out and let everyone that wants come out. It\u2019s a democracy that is not a problem.\u201d\n

However, those who belong to Tinubu\u2019s camp have been raising concerns and observations over what they term the high profile political movements for Vice President Osinbajo for the 2023 presidential race which they believe must have been sanctioned by President Buhari.\n

Sources in the Tinubu camp believe Osinbajo may be the secret weapon Buhari mentioned in his recent television interview.\n

The complaint by the Tinubu camp came against the background of high level endorsements and notable moves by canvassers of the Vice-President\u2019s alleged 2023 presidential aspiration. The endorsements have been especially manifest in the North and recently the trend moved downwards to the South with Delta State as its launch pad.\n

The Tinubu camp, which has vowed not to raise the issue with the Presidency is, however, irked by the fact that Osinbajo\u2019s name is being mentioned and projected everywhere for the 2023 presidential election with Buhari looking the other way.
\nA source within the Tinubu\u2019s camp said, \u201cYou cannot tell me that the President does not know anything about this and that his deputy is being worked up to take his office and he is ignorant? No, no.\n

\u201cHow can your subordinate be moving about like that as if you have anointed him for your office? You send him here and there to expose him?
\n\u201cIf you have a wife and she is misbehaving, who am I to complain when you, the husband, are indifferent? So, we will keep on watching.\u201d\n

Those Who Stand Against Tinubu\n

On Tuesday, Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, in a Facebook post which he titled, \u201cPrincipled Political Choices are not Betrayal\u201d, explained his decision not to support the presidential bid of Tinubu, saying his stance should not be interpreted as a betrayal.\n

After he released the lengthy statement on his Facebook wall, Ojudu came under serious attacks from Tinubu\u2019s followers and loyalists who accused him (Ojudu) of betrayal and double standard.\n

Ojudu, who claimed to have been receiving threat messages for his stance not to support Tinubu\u2019s aspiration, said although he and Tinubu had been long-time associates, supporting the former governor\u2019s presidential bid does not agree with his conscience and ideals.\n

The presidential aide, who seems to have taken sides with Osinbajo whose presidential bid he is now energetically promoting, in his Tuesday statement, said he was being threatened while his family members were being embarrassed because of his political opposition to Tinubu.\n

According to the statement, \u201cI have seen a statement made by me, many years ago, to celebrate the 60th birthday anniversary of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu making the rounds. Yes, I did make that statement. And more of such will come in my autobiography. We, together, have seen good days and bad days.\n

\u201cI and Bola Tinubu have come a long way and we have been there for each other. So, let no one use my acknowledgment of his good deeds and my refusal not to support him in his bid for Nigeria presidency portray me as a betrayer.\n

\u201cTinubu remains my leader and I will forever cherish him and the contributions he made to my Organisation during our fight against the military.\n

\u201cHe, however, knows I don\u2019t follow the herd. I make my choices based on very rigid parameters. He will tell you I am very Independent in my actions and ways.\n

\u201cAs a third year university student my dad chose to be in NPN. I never considered the fact that he fed me and paid my school fees to join him in a party I despised. I went to UPN and became a youth leader.\n

\u201cTinubu will tell you that whatever and whoever Ojudu is committed to is in for 100 percent commitment. Reasons I did rather faced torture and possible death in General Sani Abacha\u2019s detention than reveal certain things they wanted me to reveal about him.\n

\u201cThe idea that everyone who has related with Tinubu and disagrees with him on this Presidential bid is a traitor and a betrayal is puerile. Many of us, his associates, were not made by him as you also want the world to believe.\n

\u201cWe were already made before meeting him and in the course of relating we gave one another a helping hand. As far back as 1992 when I came to know him, I was already one of the editors of a popular news magazine with a good standing too in the civil society. I walked out of my job when our billionaire publisher (Chief MKO Abiola) requested I and my colleagues apologize to General Ibrahim Babangida over a story critical of the regime. That was 1992.\n

\u201cWhen I left that job, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, a man whom I was indebted to greatly (gave me a scholarship in my school days alongside King Sunny Ade) invested in my publishing platform (The News, publisher of PM news). The same one that was consequential in the battle to bring democracy back to Nigeria.\n

\u201cAt the conclusion of that struggle, Chief Fawehinmi insisted we sit out politics. Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu disagreed with this notion, and I did as well. Against an obvious choice to blind loyalty, I went along with Senator Tinubu, even serving severally in critical roles as he assumed the governorship position. My actions angered Chief Gani so much he asked that I repay his investments. Guess what? I gladly did.\n

\u201cSo, if my principled stance against NPN, against IBB, and against \u201csiddon look\u201d was not betrayal of my father, Chief MKO Abiola, and Chief Gani Fawehinmi respectively, why would my principled stance against our leader\u2019s present ambition be?\n

\u201cSo, on this matter of 2023, I wish him well but I cannot in good conscience give him my support or cast my vote for him in the coming primary. It is my right. I am above 60 years of age for God sake. I almost died seeking this inalienable democratic right, held up in detention and severally tortured. Your god is not my god.\n

\u201cLet no one think he can browbeat or blackmail me to do what does not go with my conscience or my ideals. Enough of your phone threats and embarrassment of my family members.\n

\u201cI know Tinubu. I respect and adore him. Many of his latter day supporters do not even know him. If they do, they won\u2019t resort to emotional and physical blackmail. When Tinubu decided to go against Afenifere and the Yoruba elders in 2003 by not supporting President Olusegun Obasanjo, he wasn\u2019t betraying the Yoruba nation or a traitor to Afenifere. He made a choice and history has been his judge. Let history be my own judge too. When he supported Chief Olu Falae against Chief Bola Ige, our respected leader, who fought for him to emerge as the candidate of Alliance for Democracy in Lagos, no one shouted betrayal.\n

\u201cFor the irritants who have been sending threat messages to me and members of my family or calling to abuse me for not supporting Tinubu, do know that is not democracy. It is something else. I spent my youth years fighting autocracy and intolerance of the military and I am still willing and ready, even now, to stand up for what I believe , even if it will cost me my life. Enough said.\u201d\n

Meanwhile, former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, on Tuesday, said the APC will give its presidential ticket for the 2023 general elections to Vice President Osinbajo.\n

Speaking at the ongoing 2022 annual lecture of the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation in Kano State, the former governor, while referring to the National Leader of the APC, said the party would only be interested in his (Tinubu) money.\n

According to Aliyu, any \u201criff-raff or moneybag\u201d will not get to the highest office in the country, even if they bring out money.\n

\u201cNo matter how much money he has, let him bring the money and we will collect it. Mr. Vice President, wherever you go, we will follow,\u201d\n

He described Osinbajo as the best candidate for the ruling party. \u201cMr. Vice President, do you know you are the best candidate in your party?\u201d\n

He stressed that Osinbajo has the acceptance of most Nigerians regardless of tribe, religion, and political party.\n

On Saturday, January 15, thousands of Nigerians campaigning for Osinbajo\u2019s presidential aspiration converged on Kano where they unveiled a new support group called \u2018New Nigerian Tribe\u2019.\n

Source:- Independent Ng\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since Asiwaju Bola Tinubu\u2019s declaration of his intention to run for the presidency in 2023, there have been subdued disquiet between the camps of the All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader and the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who many believe could end up as the anointed and preferred choice of President Muhammadu Buhari. President […]\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":53316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/naijatoox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/14870571_tinubuandosinbajo1_jpeg8eef7aa24b107a6f9fa2c8566f943555.jpeg?fit=720%2C324&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22664,"url":"https:\/\/naijatoox.com\/2023-osinbajo-should-accept-apc-ticket-if-party-rejects-tinubu-hanga\/","url_meta":{"origin":53315,"position":0},"title":"2023: Osinbajo Should Accept APC Ticket If Party Rejects Tinubu \u2013 Hanga","date":"December 13, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"As the 2023 presidential election begins to gather momentum, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has been urged not to reject the ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) if stakeholders in the party picks him as their preferred candidate. 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Speaking\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "NEWS"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/naijatoox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/14821055_tinubuat68_jpeg8be80a58f061da34ca42056a4c26afa3.jpeg?fit=550%2C385&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":17125,"url":"https:\/\/naijatoox.com\/tanko-yakassai-tinubu-visited-me-to-seek-support-for-his-presidential-ambition\/","url_meta":{"origin":53315,"position":4},"title":"Tanko Yakassai: Tinubu Visited Me To Seek Support For His Presidential Ambition","date":"November 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"A founding member of the Arewa Consultative Forum and elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, has revealed that he would support the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu\u2019s presidential bid in 2023. Tinubu had on Wednesday visited the elder statesman at his Abuja residence. 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