By Umar Muhammad Puma, Ayodele Samuel, Lagos & Ahmed Abubakar
As Buhari confirms Osibanjo running mate
Choice height of incompetence – PDP
National leader of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has explained that he withdrew from the race for the APC vice presidential position neither for Buhari nor Osibanjo but in the interest of the country.
Tinubu, in a statement on Wednesday, said his passion for the country knows no bounds.
He said: “I am a Nigerian who loves his country and am hopeful about what it can become. I have seen and conducted myself as a patriot long before I thought of myself as a politician. I shall always walk this line and no other.
“After all the political calculations are made and the dust of competition has settled, it must be this nation and its people who stand first and foremost.
“I helped to build this party, giving no thought to seeking an elected office because of it. My contribution to the party was never based on the expectation of a later political handout. Nigeria is in trouble and we are well past the moment for such narrow, selfish games.
“There came a time during the course of the events when our Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari offered the Vice Presidential slot to me. Being a normal human being, I was deeply moved and honoured that he would consider me for the position. Being a patriot, I had to weigh my potential candidacy in all of its dimensions.
“I have concluded that the interest of the party, our campaign and of the nation is better served if I retain my position as the National leader of the APC, allowing me to be a bridge builder across all divides.
“Although, I declined the position, I want to thank General Buhari for extending the honour to me. Despite all the noise and opposition around my possible selection, he stood firm and steadfast. He showed the traits of a leader in holding to a decision he believed was right despite the errant plots against it.
“When my name was raised, the political hatchet men tried to chop it down with rumour and lies. Over the years, I have developed a thick skin. The personal attacks did not bother me. I am used to them. While I have a thick skin, I don’t have a thick mind. There has been one form of attack that has troubled me. That is the attack based on religion. The PDP and others have stoked fear of a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“I have removed myself from consideration so what I now say cannot be seen as self-serving,” Tinubu said.
This is even as the Presidential candidate of the APC, General Muhammadu Buhari has announced a top cleric in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Yemi Osibanjo as his running mate.
Osibanjo, was a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), professor of law, and Attorney General of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007, during Bola Tinubu’s reign. He was the Chairman of the governing board of the Redeemer’s University; an alumnus of the University of Lagos and the London School of Economics. He is a prodigious author who has to his credit, several books on civil procedure in Nigerian superior courts.
Unveiling his running mate yesterday, Buhari said the method employed in the choice of Osibanjo was quite meticulous but yet rigorous and it involved the establishment of objective criteria, broad consultations with party leaders and a few opinion leaders outside the party and interactions with a number of nominees.
“The huge outpouring of support and acceptance has been a great encouragement to me and hardened my resolve to lead the process of rebuilding a New Nigeria and securing our future,” Buhari said.
In his acceptance speech, Osibanjo said he is deeply honoured and grateful to have been nominated as the Vice-Presidential candidate of the APC and especially as the Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, has said he is fully committed to the task of rebuilding the nation.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has however, described the choice of Osibanjo by General Buhari, as the height of incompetence.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh on Wednesday, PDP said, “should power get to this cabal, who is desperate to control the political and economic power centre of the nation, then Nigeria is finished.
“By the choice of Osibanjo, a well-known acolyte of Tinubu, who served under him as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, the APC, General Buhari and Tinubu have boldly recreated their well-known notoriety for sectional and personal interests.”
