Politics

2023: Tinubu, Osinbajo Divide South-West Governors

Published

3 years ago

April 10, 2022

The aspirations of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for the 2023 presidency as reportedly divided governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, even as the party prepares for its primary.

Supporters of the duo were locked in claims and counter-claims, yesterday, over who has more support among APC governors.

Dismissing as balderdash claims that Osinbajo is a threat to the aspiration of Tinubu, a two-time governor of Lagos and National Leader of APC, his supporters said he has the backing of 13 of the 22 APC governors and support of delegates from non- APC states.

Countering, supporters of Osinbajo said the Vice President enjoys the backing of 14 APC governors, especially from the North, and would shock his opponents.

In the South-West, where APC has five governors, Sunday Vanguard learned that three are for Tinubu, one for Osinbajo and another is undecided.

Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of the South-West Agenda for Asiwaju, SWAGA, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, has boasted that Tinubu is the candidate to beat in the APC presidential race because he is the most experienced and front runner.

Asked if the consensus arrangement won’t hurt Tinubu, Adeyeye said: “Consensus is provided for in the Constitution but will only work where all the candidates agree.”

Another staunch supporter of Tinubu downplayed Osinbajo’s threat to the former Lagos governor, saying: “We don’t believe Vice President Osinbajo is a threat to Asiwaju Tinubu’s presidential ambition. There is no convincing proof of people asking Osinbajo to declare. President Buhari is a critical factor. There is no indication that President Buhari is backing or will support Osinbajo who, as acting President, sacked his cousin when he was on his sick bed in London.

“Going for the presidency is not mere grammar. Where is his support base? Where is the structure? In Ikenne, Ogun State, Osinbajo does not know his Ward Chairman. How many party people does he know even in Lagos? He is not a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council, GAC. If he is formidable, he will be a member of the GAC. What has he used the position of the Vice President to do for the South-West?

“Tinubu has fought many battles even against the military. Osinbajo has not fought any battle. Tinubu was behind the Local Government battle he fought in Lagos as Attorney General. He has not learned the ropes. He may have the support of two governors. What does that amount to?

“In APC, Tinubu has the support of 12 APC governors who are solidly behind him and almost all the South-West states apart from Ekiti. But if Governor Kayode Fayemi is not contesting, Ekiti will go for Tinubu.

“Ogun State may be split between Tinubu and Osinbajo. Edo State, parts of Delta and Rivers are for Tinubu. He has been catering for states without APC governors. You will be shocked that Katsina, Sokoto, Borno, Anambra, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states will go for Tinubu, who is a good negotiator and strategist.”

13 APC governors’re behind Osinbajo — VP supporter

Countering, a supporter of Osinbajo, who said he may declare for the presidency this week precisely by Wednesday, boasted that Osinbajo would shock those who are underrating him.Said the source: “The VP will shock many people. All things being equal he will declare his intention this week, latest Wednesday.

Buhari’s greenlight

“Vice President Osinbajo has been waiting for President Buhari’s greenlight. He has got that now. Osinbajo is working silently and has the support of 13 to 14 APC governors. Two South-East governors and one South-West governor and many northern governors have sympathy for Osinbajo.

“The governors are sponsoring his activities and most of the meetings are held in the governors’ lodges. The governors are supporting him because the Vice President has age and experience on his side. He has been part of this government, so they believe he will consolidate on the achievements of President Buhari.”

Support groups speak

Speaking on Osinbajo’s perceived threat to Tinubu’s ambition, Mr. Tolu Babaleye, Director-General of Ondo State Network for Bola Tinubu, said: “We at Tinubu Support Group, Ondo State are not scared of Osinbajo, Emefiele or Amaechi joining the presidential race. “This is democracy and the more the merrier. Their joining will only present the delegates that will vote at the primary with more options.

“We believe that Tinubu will win because he has worked and has a clear goal of what he wants to achieve if elected as President.

“He has been planning for this for close to 25 years and knows what he is out to achieve and what that office entails.“Nigerians in APC during the primary will not want to toy with the future of the party by electing any other person as these people are not as prepared as Tinubu and are even afraid of the contest and hence they are busy looking for endorsement.

“As for us in Tinubu camp, our principal is prepared for the primary and he is good to go. On the contrary, Osinbajo, Emefiele and Amaechi are the ones that are afraid of the profile and preparedness of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

Reacting, Adeyeye said: “I don’t react to speculation, I have not seen any move. Up till now, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has not made his interest known. Until he does, nothing to say for now.

“The speculation has been on for a while now, social media is awash with the speculation and the Vice President has not told anyone, neither has he gone public with any interest. The rumored ambition exists only in the realm of speculation and I don’t react to speculation. “The same applied to others in our great party rumored to be interested in the office of the President but they are yet to come out with it. The only person that has gone public with his interest in the race is the Governor of Kogi State, Mr Yahaya Bello.”

On his part, Dr Ayo Owoade, Director General, Osun, Bola Ahmed Tinubu Our Choice 2023 (BATOC 23), said: “We are not bothered by anyone declaring intention for the Presidency. We are in a democracy and everyone has the constitutional right to express interest and even contest for the office but for us, we are for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.“The former Lagos State Governor has paid his dues before this democratic dispensation with his struggles with NADECO, his re-engineering of Lagos government and his continuous engagement in the nation’s political process, so he has the capacity and ability to confront anyone.

“Concerning Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, we believe that considering the impact Asiwaju Tinubu had in his life, he may not declare for the presidency and if he does, we are battle ready for anyone.” ‘APC ticket not a Yoruba affair’

However, former Minister of Communication, and, chieftain of the APC, Mr Adebayo Shittu, said the battle for the APC ticket and the presidency are not a Yoruba affair alone as many party chieftains across the country are vying for the exalted post.

“Osinbajo has the right like any other interested person. At the appropriate time, party members will decide who gets the ticket. And mind you, it is not even only in Yorubaland alone. There will be competition across the country. I only hope the party will allow a proper primary election to hold. That is my hope,” Shittu said.

In like manner, former Chief Whip of the Oyo State House of Assembly and a chieftain of the APC, Mr. Abiodun Adigun-Hammed, said: “All I want is the best for this country. The President must come from the South. That is what we have been clamouring for. Let southerners come on board. Whoever gets the ticket from this zone will get our support. Whoever is taking over from President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 must be a southerner.”

Meanwhile, the Coordinator for Senator Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (SABAT) in Osun State, Wole Alawode, said every other intending aspirant should be wary of Tinubu and not the other way round.

“Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is a product of the Bola Tinubu school of politics, so for us, we are not afraid of anyone coming forward to show interest in the presidency. We have been around for a long time and the Tinubu project is universal, though, every other person with interest should not be discouraged from doing so. But they should know that Asiwaju is the one to beat,” Alawode said.

“We are not into rivalry with anyone. The space is wide for anyone with intent to contest but whoever is coming on board must realise that Asiwaju’s acceptability and project cannot be compromised.”

VANGUARD

Related Topics:Asiwau Bola Tinubu Yemi Osinbajo

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Politics

Amaechi Slams Tinubu’s Policies In Fresh Outburst

Published

22 hours ago

June 12, 2025

Editor

Former Minister of Transportation and two-time governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has asked the coalition opposition to kick President Bola Tinubu out of office if Nigeria is to escape its deepening economic crisis.

In a no-holds-barred interview with the BBC, Amaechi, a founding member and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, lamented the country’s deteriorating condition and signalled his willingness to help forge a new opposition coalition to rescue the nation.

“People are dying. People are starving. I myself am feeling the effects of hunger,” he said, painting a grim picture of life under the current administration.

Amaechi’s statement comes in the wake of the APC’s recent endorsement of Tinubu as its sole presidential candidate for 2027, a move Amaechi openly questioned.

While reiterating his loyalty to the party, he warned that fidelity to a political platform should never come at the cost of national conscience.

“If the government is failing the country, you don’t just go along because you’re in the same party. You know that’s not right,” he stated emphatically.

Though he stopped short of confirming a 2027 presidential bid, the former minister said the option remained on the table.

“Certainly, I believe I can make a meaningful contribution,” he added, hinting that his political journey may not yet be over.

He spoke of widespread poverty, spiralling food insecurity, and daily tragedies that now dot the national landscape.

Reflecting on his years as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Amaechi lamented that the number of out-of-school children then pegged at 10 million, had since ballooned.

The economic hardship, he said, had also deepened insecurity.

“The Boko Haram insurgency is not just a religious crisis. Many of those involved are driven by desperation and hunger,” he asserted, linking terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping to a broader socioeconomic collapse.

Amaechi’s declaration added momentum to an emerging political realignment.

Talks were already underway among key opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, as they explored the possibility of a unified front against Tinubu in 2027.

Even ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and once a key Tinubu ally had signalled interest in backing an opposition alliance.

But as opposition forces stir, the ruling party continues to absorb defectors, prompting fears of Nigeria drifting toward a one-party state, a scenario Amaechi warned could undermine democracy and silence dissent.

“We’re thinking that if we come together and win the election, the country will certainly witness change,” he said, suggesting an urgent need for a credible alternative.

Politics

UNN Best Graduate Wins £33,000 Com

Published

23 hours ago

June 12, 2025

Editor

A student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka’s with the overall best graduating CGPA of 4.98, Chizoba Ejiofor, has secured a fully funded Commonwealth scholarship.

Education advocate and tech entrepreneur Alex Onyia, who made this known on social media on Thursday, said he had taken responsibility for supporting Ejiofor after the university failed to award him the promised N50,000 prize for academic excellence.

“I have a good news. A very good news. You remember Chizoba Ejiofor, who graduated as UNN overall best graduating student with CGPA of 4.98, that UNN refused to fulfill the N50k price promised to him?

“I took him up as a full responsibility. We started working tirelessly together since last year to secure a fully funded scholarship, and today we have the good news,” Onyia wrote.

Onyia revealed that Ejiofor was awarded a fully funded Commonwealth scholarship, valued at over £33,000. The package includes tuition, flight tickets, and monthly stipends.

“This is fully funded scholarship from Commonwealth. Over 33 thousand pounds in scholarship, flight tickets and monthly stipends inclusive. No one can describe how happy and fulfilled I am today,” he added.

Politics

Nigeria No Longer A Democracy, Peter Obi Laments

Published

23 hours ago

June 12, 2025

Editor

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has lamented the state of Nigeria’s democracy, saying the country no longer qualifies to be regarded as a democratic nation.

Obi, in a speech commemorating Democracy Day on Thursday, said the core elements of democracy are absent in the current system of governance in Nigeria.

“Most unfortunately in our present state, our dear country Nigeria cannot be classified as a democratic country. Democracy is said to be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Yet, none of these three measures exist in our democracy today,” Obi said.

Obi criticised the electoral process, noting that rules and requirements for participation are routinely violated.

“People who are not qualified and ought to be disqualified are now holding public offices,” he said.

Reflecting on the symbolic significance of June 12 in Nigeria’s democratic struggle, Obi expressed concern that the country, under the current administration, has seen a broad erosion of democratic values in just two years.

“It is deeply troubling that under the present administration, in a short span of two years, our nation has witnessed a broad erosion of democratic principles,” he said.

He highlighted a corresponding deterioration in security, economic stability, and social services, including education and healthcare.

“We have traversed from rigged elections to collapsing social service, from soaring poverty to rising corruption, and from a seemingly stable economy to a parallel economy,” Obi stated.

Obi accused the federal government of manipulating public perception rather than addressing the challenges facing the nation.

“Rather than show genuine accountability and measure good progress, [the government] focuses on manipulating the narratives, gaslighting the public, shifting blame, and weaponising governance,” he said.

The former Anambra State governor also cited economic statistics to back his claims.

According to him, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has fallen from $364 billion in May 2023 to $188 billion, while per capita income has dropped from $1,640 to $835.

“Nigerians living in poverty have increased from 38.9% to 54%. Within this period, 129 million Nigerians now live below poverty line,” he added.

He noted that a World Bank report showed that 75% of Nigerians in rural areas now live below the poverty line.

Obi also decried the state of education and healthcare.

“Today, we have 18.3 million children out of school, the highest in the world. Our children are now being taught science without science labs and computer without computers. They are now taking exams in darkness with candles,” he said.

On healthcare, he quoted the National Primary Health Care Development Agency as saying that less than 20% of over 30,000 primary health care centres across the country are functional.

“I recently visited some where there are delivery rooms without toilets,” Obi added.

He concluded that the country is “declining fast in all its facets,” warning that the rule of law has become virtually non-existent and that governance is failing to meet the basic needs of the people.