Ahead of the 2023 Presidential election, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo’s support base keeps swelling by the day despite his reluctance to declare his Presidential ambition. Several support groups urging him to run for the President have sprung up across the country even when Osinbajo has constantly described them as distractions to his current assignment as the nation’s Vice President.
Although the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has yet to officially zone the Presidential ticket to the South for Osinbajo to be eligible to contest the presidential slot, there are expectations that such would be done by the party in no time. Already, a former Lagos State governor and National Leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu, who is generally considered Osinbajo’s political godfather had declared his intention to run for the President in 2023. The declaration has made many in Tinubu’s political camp to consider Osinbajo’s rumoured ambition an anathema as they argue that a house divided against itself can never stand.
It would be recalled that Osinbajo was the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney- General for the eight-year Tinubu’s tenure as the governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007. Osinbajo’s emergence as the Vice Presidential candidate to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) in 2015 was also attributed largely to the backing of his former boss, Tinubu. Since their political paths crossed, Osinbajo’s loyalty to the Tinubu’s political family has never been in doubt. However, even when Osinbajo has yet to make up his mind on whether to run or not, the Tinubu political family in the ruling party has been divided between the Vice President and the APC National Leader.
Only recently, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters in the Office of the Vice President, Babafemi Ojudu, came out boldly to rule out the possibility of his working for Tinubu’s Presidential ambition. While debunking the claims that the APC National Leader made him and some other persons politically, Ojudu argued that their relationships were mutual and symbiotic. Ojudu, obviously, was not speaking for himself alone.
He spoke the minds of several politicians, who have the moral burden of allegiance to the political behemoth of Bourdillon. Ojudu’s disclaimer of Tinubu’s political hegemony, especially in Lagos State and the South-West at a time some politicians are working on setting up Osinbajo for Presidential race, has raised some posers. Could it be that the Presidential aide was holding forte for his principal to neutralize the sense of entitlement coming from Tinubu’s camp? Could it be that the hitherto quiet Tinubu’s camp has imploded? Could it be that the godfather’s stranglehold on his men has loosen up? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, the APC National Leader had been rumoured to have informed the Vice President of his Presidential ambition. Unconfirmed reports stated that Osinbajo told some of his close associates that he would shelve his ambition should Tinubu press tenaciously for the ruling party’s Presidential ticket when zoned to the South. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity in the Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande, had described as fake recent news that Osinbajo had informed the President of his intention to run for President in 2023. Reacting, Akande had said, “there is no basis for these speculations since the Vice President has not indicated interest in Presidency in 2023” Urging the media to be circumspect about such stories and speculations, he stated “they are normal at a time like this.
Do not be surprised that more of these stories will continue to come” He also insisted that the, “President did not meet with the Vice President on New Year day,” where he told his boss of his intention to take over the rein of power from him. The report indicated that the Vice President had gone to meet with the President to seek the “blessing of his principal who did not make immediate commitments. Notwithstanding the disclaimer, many notable Nigerians have continued to mobilize support for the Vice President ahead of 2023. They cite age and experience as his cutting-edge in the race to the nation’s number one position. Only on Friday, an influential group within the ruling party, APC Professional Forum, led by the former Governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda, paid Osinbajo a courtesy visit in the Presidential Villa, where he was invited to join their group.
Even when they were not reported to have discussed politics, a discerning mind may be politically correct to conclude that the professionals may be another group routing for Osinbajo’s presidency in 2023. In any case, the race for the nation’s number-one position in 2023 is not, by any means, a two-horse race between Tinubu and Osinbajo. Other notable contestants eyeing the position, especially from the South-East, include Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Senator Rochas Okorocha (APC) and the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim amongst others