Strong indications that Osinbajo may part ways with his political mentor over the 2023 presidency had emerged during his birthday in March 2020 when Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, who delivered an address on behalf of the APC Progressives Governors Forum, hinted that Osinbajo is a good candidate to succeed Buhari.
Osinbajo’s supporters, under the aegis of the Progressives Consolidation Group (PCG), were the first and only support group that has received the approval of the APC to canvass support for his emergence as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 presidential election.
The approval was contained in a letter titled, ‘Letter of Recognition as a Support Group,’ dated October 4, 2021, and signed by the Director of Administration of the APC, Alhaji Abubakar Suleiman.
The letter, which was addressed to the PCG, read in part, “We write to inform you that the National Chairman, His Excellency, Mai Mala Buni, has approved your recognition as a support group of the party.”
Even though the supporters of Osinbajo and Tinubu have insisted that the alleged attempt to pit the two leaders against each other will fail, there are no indications that any of them will drop his presidential aspiration.
Reacting to a report where groups said to be supporting Tinubu and Osinbajo were pitted against each other over the 2023 presidency, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, had stated in a statement that neither the vice-president nor his office will endorse “this kind of a divisive engagement and news reports”.
“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo are members of the same party,” the former senator said.
“Osinbajo regards Tinubu as a respected leader of a political family to which he belongs and will therefore not for any reason endorse an endeavour that seeks to pitch them against each other.
“We are not unaware of some people who may want to foist a crack among our leaders. Such an attempt is abortive. Osinbajo and Tinubu relationship dates way back and it shall continue to wax strong,” Ojudu reportedly explained.
…to be concluded.
