By Bayo Osiyemi

Those who do not wish the Yoruba well are in the vanguard of those goading our sitting vice president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to throw his hat into the presidential ring. It is not out of love for the genteel law professor. I bet it is simply to draw him out to square up to his one-time boss when he was state commissioner and his political boss by any standard, so that the two Yoruba gladiators can fight themselves to the finish and fluff another bright chance of the Yoruba. The lure is great, and it behoves every right thinking Yoruba person to dissuade the vice president from toeing that line.

I can also sniff that some people of Yoruba extraction who dislike Osinbajo as much as they detest Tinubu are showing preference for an Igbo presidency, not necessarily out of genuine love for our Southeast brethren but because they must exhibit that flaw in Yoruba character that “I don’t care who gets it, provided it is not Tinubu or Osinbajo”. People with such mindset most times regret their actions after the deed is done.

Tinubu is being accused of all manner of sins, as if sin is designed for saints. But then, what offences are being ascribed to Osinbajo that neither of them is fit to be President. Methinks the words of my people that “inunibini ko kan aimowa hu” comes in handy here. There is nothing you can ever do to please bad-belle people!

As sitting vice president, Osinbajo is perfectly entitled to formally sit on the presidential chair on which he had earlier been privileged to sit in interim capacity whenever his current boss was away. But as things stand today, Tinubu is considered by many as the best and the most ideal candidate among the Yoruba eyeing that position. Some others covet the position as well but are for now coy about coming out openly to declare their intention. Do they belong in the ranks of those waiting to be pushed into the ring?

I personally detest the idea of unwilling candidates because the very idea can be correctly interpreted to either mean being ill-equipped for the job or a sign of negativity which is the stuff of which spoil-sports are made. Conversely, I admire those who have prepared themselves sufficiently for the top job and have become passionate about it; a classic example being Alhaji Lateef Jakande who equipped himself for the Lagos governorship before he made a go for it in 1978. The result is his unprecedented, landmark achievements in a short space of four years and three months. Those achievements were no mere fluke or flash in the pan, as he moved on to the federal level as minister of works and dazzled doubting Thomases with his housing scheme achievements in Abuja under just two years before he dropped out of the cabinet.

Tinubu followed in Jakande’s footsteps with the radicalisation of governance under his watch when he became Lagos State governor in 1999 and steadied the economic growth of the state for eight years. He bequeathed a template to the state which his successors have found impossible to abandon because in that template is the winning formula for progress, for which the state has justifiably earned the epitaph of “Centre of Excellence”. If the man Tinubu says the presidential project is his life-long ambition and there’s evidence that he can walk his talk, why deny him the opportunity to prove his mettle, especially from his homestead?

I cannot but be fascinated with the profound wisdom in Yoruba philosophy and idioms. Take this: Ehinkule l’ota wa, inu ile l’aseni ngbe. Why is it unceasingly becoming the second nature of the Yoruba to sharpen the pull-down machete with which they destroy their own?

“Ebe la nbe osika, ko tun ilu re se”; again another wise saying of the Yoruba. Isn’t it time for our foremost traditional rulers to come together and jaw-jaw with all their children with presidential ambition towards the end of getting them agree on presenting a solid, winnable candidate among these aspirants – the one we know ready as well as those still lurking in the shadows.

You may want to ask where will I cast my lot if asked? My answer will come musically from one of our best ever music icons, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister: “E ma f’ori aja we t’olola iju; won jo’ra won, sugbon iyato wa nibe o”, meaning the kitten’s head and that of the lion may look similar, but there’s a world of difference between the two. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu fits the bill best, all things considered!

https://thenationonlineng.net/come-off-it-dont-liken-cats-head-to-lions/

Rubbish

Absolute balderdash...

Any Nigerian qualified under the Constitution can contest for president. People should stop the emotional blackmail and promote their candidate. Blackmail is a tool of the weak.

Nonsense....it most not make front page.

The Nation is Tinubu's newspaper so this hogwash is expected. One thing I know for sure is that Osinbajo won't give us any toilet malfunction at Awujale's palace and he won't attempt to recruit 50 million of us into the army to eat "corn and agbado" unlike one bullion van master I know

Lobbish

I don't think so.

Igbos say 2023 presidency is their right, yet they can't claim this "their right" through their dearest party, pdp. This implies they want to claim this "their right" on the platform of almajiri and amala party, apc.

All these anti Tinubu campaigns are geared towards making him believe he can't get the ticket so he then decide to support one igbo in apc.

If Tinubu throws his weight behind Osinbajo now, be rest assured, same defamation of character will be hurled at him (Osinbajo).

So forget it, Tinubu is the next president of the fed rep of Nigeria.

So you mean we should elect Tinubu with this his uninary track infection that is very contagious, even in the mosque now we will avoid too much close contact with Tinubu to avoid ..........!

This writer self

Typical Yoruba human being

Those Yoruba that prefer Igbo presidency to Tinubu and Osinbajo are the true patriots and men of honour.

D

Hehehehehe! This 2023 go sweet en!

Epistle after Epistle! I no read am sha!

Last last, some will cry by the end of the year, and others will merry!

Those of us on the fence go just de watch African Nigerian Night Political Entertainment Abracadabra

Hmmmmm

Bitter but True

Ojiofor:
Those Yoruba that prefer Igbo presidency to Tinubu and Osinbajo are the true patriots and men of honour.

Which political party will risk presenting their presidential tickets to an Igbo politician, after the Ipob and hunchback namadi cownu’s debacle? It will amount to political suicide. How do you convince the north to vote for a region whose wayward son peddled a malicious rumour that a sitting president is dead and no elder from this said region condemned that libellous attack?
Again, everyone is entitled to his/her political choice(s), after all, it’s democracy. But this entitlement mentality has to stop in the Igbo mindset. Ndigbo failed to follow in the steps of Zik who built alliances across Nigeria which ensured that the Igbo, alongside the north ruled Nigeria from 1960-66, until predominantly Igbo officers destroyed that alliance.
Today, a hunchback cannibal and his Ipob bingos have completely brainwashed Ndigbo into hating Zik and not follow in his footsteps, hence total decimation of Igbo political capital.

I completely agree with the writer. If you have to go for the top job, then you must put forth your best foot/material. In Tinubu, the SW have a better shot at the presidency than any other would be Yoruba candidate and non-Yoruba knows this.

PDP Dundees and IPOB terrorists know that Osinbajo stands no chance. How will any northern governor persuade his religion Fanatic masses to vote for a pastor, when a northern Muslim will be on the ballot for PDP?



Wailing losers already understand that, the only stumbling block on their way to aso rock is the jagaban. Osinbajo is more qualified, but qualifications alone don't win election here, maybe it will by the year 6079.

Tinubu attacking Osinbajo

Abeg let me come and go and sleep

The hatred, justified or unjustified, that some people have for Tinubu is palpable.




To the best of my knowledge, Tinubu has never held a position at the federal level, apart from being a one time senator.



As a state governor, apart from taking governance to a higher level taking a cue from Jakande, he actually laid the template upon which modern Lagos State is built.



I believe this man has the midas touch to turn things around if given the opportunity to serve at the highest level.



Well, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.



I just gave mine!







Cheers Nairalanders!

ipobcannibals:
Which political party will risk presenting their presidential tickets to an Igbo politician, after the Ipob and hunchback namadi cownu’s debacle? It will amount to political suicide. How do you convince the north to vote for a region whose wayward son peddled a malicious rumour that a sitting president is dead and no elder from this said region condemned that libellous attack?
Again, everyone is entitled to his/her political choice(s), after all, it’s democracy. But this entitlement mentality has to stop in the Igbo mindset. Ndigbo failed to follow in the steps of Zik who built alliances across Nigeria which ensured that the Igbo, alongside the north ruled Nigeria from 1960-66, until predominantly Igbo officers destroyed that alliance.
Today, a hunchback cannibal and his Ipob bingos have completely brainwashed Ndigbo into hating Zik and not follow in his footsteps, hence total decimation of Igbo political capital.

Forget story,MNK does not speak for Igbo nation just like Abubakar Shakua of Boko haram did not speak for the North.Ndi Igbo can't be judged differently.So you Tinubu supporters should stop the blackmail cos it won't work.Whatever crime MNK committed he is facing charges for it and will pay for it if convicted.

TmkSouth

One of the things the country hate about Yorubas is that they are always blaming people. They can never take responsibility.

Also they are very predictible.

They always blame Igbos, their nemesis for anything

Aufbauh:
Any Nigerian qualified under the Constitution can contest for president. People should stop the emotional blackmail and promote their candidate. Blackmail is a tool of the weak.

Reminds me of the drunken fisherman from otueke.

But why is the cocaine sniffer his deluded supporters scared of Osibanjo?
If Akinwumi Adesina decides to contest, they go shit for dere pampers like Tinubu

Haters can hate, Tinubu will be our president in 2023 insha allah

Were wo lo soro yen.??

This columnist yourself Typical Nigerians humankind getting

osinbanjo is one of the best candidate from apc, tinubu should go and rest

Ojiofor:


Forget story,MNK does not speak for Igbo nation just like Abubakar Shakua of Boko haram did not speak for the North.Ndi Igbo can't be judged differently.So you Tinubu supporters should stop the blackmail cos it won't work.Whatever crime MNK committed he is facing charges for it and will pay for it if convicted.

The case of Ndigbo now is a case of: Okie soro ngwenre ma nmiri, nmiri ko ngwenre, oga ko okie.
Translates: if a rat follows a lizard to jump into the water, when the body of lizard dries out, will that of the rat gets dry too?
So because the north had Abubakar Shekau, Ndigbo is now excusing having a hunchback cannibal, namadi cownu? If having boko haram worked for the north politically, will having hunchback namadi cownu work for Ndigbo?
Well, we’re seeing how it’s playing out for the SE.

Tinubu newspaper the Nation spewing rubbish.