By Temidayo Akinsuyi

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.

Speaking exclusively with Daily Independent, Senator Rufai Hanga, pioneer national chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), said from the looks of things in the APC, President Muhammadu Buhari may not honour the pact he had with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former Lagos State governor and APC national leader, that he will support him to become the party’s presidential flagbearer in the 2023 elections.

Osinbajo, a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice during Tinubu’s eight years as Lagos State governor, was nominated by Tinubu as running mate to Buhari, then APC presidential candidate in December 2014.

Tinubu, who had earlier been penciled down by Buhari as his running mate was dropped after party leaders rejected the idea of the APC fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

With intense clamour from several groups on Tinubu and Osinbajo to contest in 2023, analysts have predicted that the vice president may bow out of the race in deference to his former principal, so as not to be labelled as a “betrayer”.

However, Hanga, who recently dumped the APC, said Osinbajo should accept the ticket if offered to him by the party, adding that there is no way doing so will amount to a betrayal if the party rejects Tinubu.

He said Osinbajo turning down the offer to become APC’s flagbearer after the party leadership has rejected Tinubu will amount to the Tinubu group losing out completely in the party.

He said, “I think if Osinbajo contests in 2023, it is not a betrayal to his former boss, Asiwaju. I believe Osinbajo is a complete gentleman. He is one of the most respected politicians in this country. I respect him too. I assure you that if he goes for the presidency, I may support him".

“I want to guarantee you that Osinbajo will not go for the presidency until it is clear that Asiwaju is not contesting. If he sees clearly that the people in APC will not allow Asiwaju to contest, I am sure he will accept to run because he will not want the two of them to lose out.

“If APC says to Osinbajo ‘come let us give you our presidential ticket, we don’t want Asiwaju’, he will agree. To me, that is the most responsible thing to do. That to me is not betrayal and I am sure even Asiwaju will not be angry if he does that because it is the same thing.

“If APC rejects Asiwaju tomorrow and they said they wanted Osinbajo, I will advise him to accept it because it will still benefit Asiwaju.

“All Osinbajo needs do is to look for a person with strong followership in the North as running mate. They will definitely win. If Osinbajo is given the ticket now and he picks somebody like Kwankwaso, I swear to God, they will surely win.

“In the North, there is nobody like Kwankwaso now in terms of popularity. Kwankwaso today is what Buhari was in the North”.

On the pact which he claimed existed between the president and Tinubu, Hanga said associates of Buhari thought he had integrity when they were campaigning for him but saw his true colour after attaining power.

“I hope he will honour the agreement but I doubt if he will do so. Yes, people say he is a man of integrity. We also said that too, that he has integrity. That was why we sold and marketed him to Nigerians. But after he got to power, we saw a different thing altogether.

“We believed that he was a man of integrity; we believed that he is pious but after getting what he wants, we discovered a different thing altogether. So, I hope he will honour the pact he had with Asiwaju but I doubt if he would.

“Right now, there are people who are trying to manipulate him and he doesn’t have the strong will to do things. Some people say he has no capacity and I want to believe them that truly, he has no capacity.

“Somebody with capacity will question so many things going on around him. Buhari hears but he doesn’t listen. I can’t guarantee he will honour his agreement with Asiwaju on 2023 presidency”.

https://independent.ng/2023-presidential-election-osinbajo-should-accept-apc-ticket-if-tinubu-is-rejected-hanga/

All i know is that yoruba man must be president come 2023

Osinbajo is still a Yoruba man not bad at all.. at least..the power must come back to west side... Not the east side

Either Osibanjo or Tinubu, we are on the move

Nothing like betrayal in politics. Tinubu also did same to Afenifere elders

“I hope he will honour the agreement but I doubt if he will do so. Yes, people say he is a man of integrity. We also said that too, that he has integrity. That was why we sold and marketed him to Nigerians. But after he got to power, we saw a different thing altogether.

“We believed that he was a man of integrity; we believed that he is pious but after getting what he wants, we discovered a different thing altogether. So, I hope he will honour the pact he had with Asiwaju but I doubt if he would.

Buhari really messed up,if his kinsmen can describe him this way,"we believed that he was a man of integrity ".I am still shaking my head.
The northerners believed they are wise,they want to use Osinbajo before but Osinbajo did not play along by telling them he cannot betray Tinubu.

"If Osinbajo is given the ticket now and he picks somebody like Kwankwaso, I swear to God, they will surely win".

Hope APC leaders are listening to this

Abdul05:
Osinbajo is still a Yoruba man not bad at all.. at least..the power must come back to west side... Not the east side

Is the east side a threat to you? If they are not you won’t mention them

The senator is stylishly telling Tinubu that Buhari won't support him

am an Igbo but I don't give a damn about who becomes president as long as the person has the interests of the people at heart and work hard enough to undo the damages done by the daura dunce.

Let's support Tinubu then. He did that in Lagos and accommodated many Igbos in his government

insidelife22:
am an Igbo but I don't give a damn about who becomes president as long as the person has the interests of the people at heart and work hard enough to undo the damages done by the daura dunce.

Sure

hisexcellency34:
"If Osinbajo is given the ticket now and he picks somebody like Kwankwaso, I swear to God, they will surely win".

Hope APC leaders are listening to this

Is Kwankwaso in APC to begin with?

One thing is however sure.No body from the SW will make it to aso rock in 2023

anybody can decamp anytime. see you talking like otele. if APC offer him VP ticket, he will decamp sharply

PaChukwudi44:

Is Kwankwaso in APC to begin with?

Sure. But this osinbajo self is too dull for my liking. He has all it takes to rule but courage?? No no no. He was trying not to step on some stupid toes. He also don't want to disappoint Tinubu his god father, not knowing politics is all about trachery. Forget about Tinubu and vie for that post. It belongs to anybody from Yoruba land, South West region. So anyone can fill that post among us. We have more than capable hands. But osinbajo is the most worthy.

Osinbajo should summon some courage and come fore to state his position as to whether he wants to contest. Nigeria need a brave, courageous and witty person to lead not all this pussy ass niggas.

nairavsdollars:
anybody can decamp anytime. see you talking like otele. if APC offer him VP ticket, he will decamp sharply

Kwankwaso can't be VP to a baby politician like Osibanjo

don't forget he was in APC before. Ganduje frustrated him out

PaChukwudi44:

Is Kwankwaso in APC to begin with?

Even if Osinbande has been a monumental failure as VP with his hands "tied" according to himself, he'll be a far better president than that so called Jagaban Bola Ahmed Tinubu who had to forfeit a huge amount of drug funds to the United States government in order to escape a sure prison sentence. Osinbande is more refined and articulated in my opinion and is my only choice from the APC party of vampires

Seen and noted unto matters arising

Reality is finally dawning on Yoruba Muslims

After the propaganda and pictures have lost steam they have now agreed that buhari can never make Tinubu president.

It would shock them to know that osinbajo won't be president too going by how much Buhari mistrust him

Buhari would pick a Tunde Bakare as he did in CPC if he must pick Yoruba, their is possibility of him picking Amaechi (his trusted ally)

He would do so because picking a Tinubu ally would aggregate power to Tinubu but choosing his own ally means power to his block after leaving office

He could go for a northern Muslim knowning PDP would field same, either way Tinubu and his acn group have no bargain chip to negotiate power with buhari anymore except to beg like Akande is doing

Is this konk Hausa man a Yoruba muslim?

Leverage2021:
Reality is finally dawning on Yoruba Muslims

After the propaganda and pictures have lost steam they have now agreed that buhari can never make Tinubu president.

It would shock them to know that osinbajo won't be president too going by how much Buhari mistrust him

Buhari would pick a Tunde Bakare as he did in CPC if he must pick Yoruba, their is possibility of him picking Amaechi (his trusted ally)

He would do so because picking a Tinubu ally would aggregate power to Tinubu but choosing his own ally means power to his block after leaving office

He vould go for a northern Muslim knowning PDP would field same, either way Tinubu and his acn group have no bargain chip to negotiate power with buhari anymore except to beg like Akande is doing

YorubaNiBaba:
All i know is that yoruba man must be president come 2023

Before it was Tinubu must be president, we can't vote Yoruba Christian--- muric

Funny enough it was the same south south, south east that was routing for osinbajo when Yoruba Muslims were saying Tinubu.

It would shock you when Buhari would disappoint this same osinbajo, someone that he preferred Abba kyari to when traveling

Someone that he cancelled all his decisions when he returned from uk

But I know he won't support Umahi and Orji Kalu too

Leverage2021:


Before it was Tinubu must be president, we can't vote Yoruba Christian--- music

Funny enough it was the same south south, south east that was routing for osinbajo when Yoruba Muslims were saying Tinubu.

It would shock you when Buhari would disappoint this same osinbajo, someone that he preferred Abba kyari to when traveling

Someone that he cancelled all his decisions when he returned from uk

We love both of them. Tinubu or Osinbanjo is still a win for SW and Tinubu himself. But you see that Fayemi, he will be shamed at the end

nairavsdollars:
But I know he won't support Umahi and Orji Kalu too

It's the reality

Currently Amaechi has better rating than osinbajo in the ranking of osinbajo

Another Tinubu thread.

Ok

Welcomed development, One thing is however sure.No body from the SW will make it to aso rock in 2023.

bolaayenimo:
By Temidayo Akinsuyi


https://independent.ng/2023-presidential-election-osinbajo-should-accept-apc-ticket-if-tinubu-is-rejected-hanga/

So that they can all vote for their fellow Fula Atiku in PDP?

Nigerians can never be wise