Presidency: Group raises alarm over recruitment of mercenaries to demarket Osinbajo

Christiana Ekpa

A Group, Progressives Lawyers for Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has raised the alarm over recruitment of mercenaries to target the Vice President for attack sequel to his declaration to run for the office of the President in 2023.

Kayode Ajulo, the Convener of the group, in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja said that the attack was aimed at de-marketing the Vice President.

He said that all efforts were being made to malign Osinbajo, while alleging that about six different characters were said to have been sent to Ogun State Ikenne, his home town for the onslaught.

This, he said, was to get the requisite information from his kindreds that could allegedly discredit him and also recruit his kinsmen against him in his state all in an effort to malign him.

He said that this attempt had gone across party lines from both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), adding that PDP was particularly jittery of his soaring popularity, stressing that his entry into the race had caused panic among them.

He added that the PDP would not stop at anything to demarket and malign the person of Osinbajo.

While pointing out that it is a pity that they are doing this to someone who has warned all his supporters not to attack or abuse anybody, the group said the Vice President had urged his supporters to concentrate on the values he would bring to the table, and what he plans to do for the nation.

“So in days to come do not be surprise to see more of their fabricated lies and contrived false allegations but the question you need to ask yourself is why all these now,” he said.

He however said that the identities of the perpetrators would soon be made known.

“Since the Vice President declaration to run for office of the president in 2023 on April 1, people have narrowed down the presidential race in the APC to Osinbajo and Tinubu.

“People also believe that his coming in may polarize the votes of the South West delegates between him and Tinubu, thereby putting the region in a disadvantaged position,” he said.

Ajulo however said that by the position of Osinbajo as Vice President, he has the right of first refusal.

He said that some people thought that Osinbajo’s interest to contest was going to affect their chances, therefore they must look for everything under the sun to demarket the party, demarket the candidate.

“Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Prof Yemi Osinbajo are leaders in all ramifications and the South West is their base, but don’t let us miss this point that the stake is that of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not the South West.

“What matters most is that the best candidate, the most experienced emerged as the candidate of the party.

“This is not only that he is the most experienced aspirant today; politically he is the most experienced. Then when you talk of his intellectual prowess, he is there,” he stated.