Kehinde Fajobi
Babafemi Ojudu, a former Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, has alleged that former President Muhammadu Buhari never supported the presidential ambitions of his then Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, nor those of Bola Tinubu, despite their political alliance.
Speaking on Edmund Obilo’s State Affairs podcast on Monday, Ojudu revealed that Buhari’s lack of support for Osinbajo contributed to his defeat in the presidential primary, and that despite their friendship, Tinubu managed to outmaneuver Buhari in several ways.
“I knew Osinbajo was going to lose the primary, I saw it coming,” Ojudu said.
“Because of the system we operated and still operate, I kept saying at our meeting that all of the efforts we are making like traveling around, convincing people, and addressing delegates is only 40 percent.
“60 percent of it lies in Buhari’s hands unless and until Buhari mobilizes people around him, the governors, his aides, we are going nowhere.”
“I used to refer to Buhari as a one-man majority and he never mobilized his team towards Osinbajo and I think Tinubu outsmarted him in so many different ways.”
Ojudu expressed his belief thaty Osinbajo, whom he supported, would have made an excellent president, comparing the loss of his bid to missing a second opportunity at the leadership of Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
“I supported Osinbajo to be president. I was convinced because having seen him up close,” he said.
“The way he worked, his philosophy, his breadth of knowledge and the kind of patriotic verve in him, I just think that he was the best person at that time to govern Nigeria that I have seen up close.”
“Osinbajo would have been good for this country. For me, it is like losing Awolowo for a second time because he was at Awolowo’s level in terms of capacity, ability, dedication, and commitment.”
During the 2023 APC primary, Tinubu secured 1,271 votes to win the party’s presidential ticket, while Osinbajo received 235 votes, finishing third.