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After 2023 Pres. Election Fall Out
+ How PBAT Forget The Past
President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo have made up, after their APC Presidential primaries encounter which pitched Osinbajo against Tinubu.
Unknown to many, Pres. Tinubu and Osinbajo have become political associates again after their relationship was strained by the primaries.
President Tinubu was allegedly angry that Prof. who he had implicit faith in, could also come out at the time he did to contest for the same slot, during the APC presidential primaries.
Though Tinubu did not say a word about it, Tinubu’s close associates felt it wasn’t someone like Osinbajo that should have come out to face Tinubu at the primaries, after all Tinubu did to help Osinbajo to power as Vice-President to Buhari.
But the former Vice-President does not see it that way. He and his group saw nothing wrong in Osinbajo testing his chances in the primaries.
Of course, since he lost out to Tinubu, their relationship had become sour. After he left office, Osibanjo also kept a low profile, avoiding APC party events till a few months later when he began to step out to events, especially to APC meetings.
A few days ago, Osinbajo was spotted at the APC NEC meeting in Abuja.
Like Oluwatimilehin Adande wrote: “I love the fact that Professor Yemi Osinbajo didn’t disappear after all that happened during the 2023 election. Obviously, he’s made peace with his godfather, because he’s been attending APC meetings. He’s been regular. He never misses. This is beautiful. And we must also give kudos to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for being free-minded to always accommodate his Boys when they misbehave.
This picture is beautiful, it shows us that betrayals are normal because men must go after their interests. But we must always find ways to reconcile.” How did Pres. Tinubu & Prof. Osinbajo reconcile? Have they really made up? “Its not quite a make up,” explained one of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo’s most trusted aide.” He was invited and he attended as a former VP and a member of the APC causus.”
Those close to Pres. Tinubu say he has put all of that behind him. “Of course, those close to Pres. Tinubu know that he does not keep malice with anybody, especially his political associates. He is quick to forgive and forget.”
That is why many say it seems President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo have buried the hatchet. Before now Tinubu visited Osinbajo in his house after the primaries, and they’ve been interacting since then. Tinubu even congratulated Osinbajo on his 68th birthday, describing him as a “close ally, friend, and brother”.
Tinubu’s said he’s forgiven Osinbajo, stating that “a man who asks for forgiveness from God must be willing to forgive others”.
Osinbajo attended the recent APC National Caucus meeting in Abuja, alongside President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and other top party officials. The meeting aimed to reinforce party cohesion, strengthen internal discipline, and harmonize positions ahead of the NEC meeting.
Yemi Osinbajo has played significant roles in the All Progressives Congress (APC) party. He was instrumental in designing the party’s Manifesto, “Roadmap to a New Nigeria,” and served as the running mate to Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections, becoming Vice President of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023.
Osinbajo has also been involved in various party activities.
Osinbajo has also been engaging with party members and stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of political involvement and intellectual readiness for young Nigerians aspiring to serve in public office. He’s urged Nigerians to participate in politics to shape the country’s leadership and drive societal transformation .
Some of his notable activities include:
Party Meetings: He attended APC National Caucus meeting in Abuja.
Reconciliation Efforts: Was involved in reconciliation processes within the party, such as in Osun State after the governorship primary election
Public Engagements: Encouraging young Nigerians to engage in politics and shape the country’s future.
But did he contest against Tinubu at the APC primaries
Yemi Osinbajo contested against Bola Tinubu for the APC presidential ticket in 2023, citing his desire to serve Nigeria and offer an alternative leadership vision. He saw an opportunity to lead the party and country, leveraging his experience as Vice President and lawyer.
Osinbajo’s campaign focused on Continuity and Change, emphasizing governance experience and a track record of delivering results. However, he eventually conceded, endorsing Tinubu after the primaries.
The contest was seen as a test of strength within the APC, with both candidates having significant support. Tinubu emerged victorious, and they’ve since reconciled.
Recall that Osinbajo visited Tinubu at his Abuja residence, marking a show of solidarity and reconciliation. This meeting came after Osinbajo conceded and endorsed Tinubu’s candidacy, stating that Tinubu’s experience would be critical to Nigeria’s prosperity.
Their reconciliation is seen as a positive move for the APC, as it strengthens party unity ahead of future elections. Tinubu has also been engaging with other party members and stakeholders, including governors and prominent politicians.
Osibajo was again in the news a few days ago when Senator Babafemi Ojudu, an ex-presidential adviser, countered Charles Omole’s claims about this same issue of the presidential ambition of former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.
In a new biography titled From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, unveiled at the State House recently, Omole, who authored the book, said the late former President did not back Osinbajo’s presidential ambition, primarily because incumbent President Bola Tinubu was also in the presidential race.
Omole added that Buhari found it “strange” that Osinbajo would contest against Tinubu, whom he regarded as the Vice-President’s political benefactor.
Quoting sources close to the late president, Omole said Buhari remarked, “I don’t know Osinbajo from anywhere, I met him only through Tinubu.”
The author wrote that sources said, “Buhari was not impressed that Osinbajo did not consult him or seek his advice.”
However, Ojudu, who served as the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters in the office of the Vice-President from 2016 to 2022, maintained that Osinbajo discussed his presidential ambition with Buhari on 4 different occasions.
He recounted occasions in which Buhari advised Osinbajo about his presidential ambition, adding that the late president even said the former Vice-President was “by far the best person for the job”.
The former presidential adviser said Osinbajo “could not realistically have contemplated a presidential run without the active backing of Buhari.
“The matter of whether Vice President Osinbajo should run for President was discussed directly and personally between him and President Muhammadu Buhari on no fewer than four separate occasions,” Ojudu said.
“On each of these occasions, President Buhari expressed clear, unequivocal support for the Vice President’s ambition.
“At no time explicitly or implicitly – did President Buhari suggest that Professor Osinbajo should refrain from contesting.
“At no time did he indicate a preference that the Vice President should defer to, step aside for, or subordinate his ambition to any other aspirant, including the eventual nominee of the party.
“On the first occasion, President Buhari advised the Vice President to reflect carefully on the prospects of a presidential bid, make up his mind and assured him that he would support whatever decision he took.
“By the third discussion, President Buhari went further. In his considered judgment, he stated plainly that Professor Osinbajo was by far the best person for the job.”
Ojudu said anyone who writes about Buhari’s presidency must, as a matter of “fairness and inquiry”, reach out to those who are concerned for their own side of the story.
“To embark on such a project without seeking their account is not serious scholarship or history. It is advocacy masquerading as biography,” the former presidential adviser said.
“Only a hack would attempt to fix the record of a complex administration by relying on hearsay, grievance, and one-sided recollection while deliberately ignoring those who were central actors in the events being described.
“History is not written to settle scores. It is written to illuminate truth. And those who bend it to serve personal animus may enjoy a fleeting moment of attention, but they rarely survive the judgment of time.”
Osinbajo is widely believed to be among those Tinubu groomed when he was governor of Lagos State.
He was Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice of Lagos State while Tinubu was governor.
During the buildup to the 2015 presidential election, Tinubu suggested Osinbajo to Buhari as his running mate.
