‘How Tinubu nominated Osinbajo’

On Apr 19, 2022

By Tunji Bello

The news media have become agog with false story as to how Vice President Yemi Osinbajo came to be. During the launch of a book: “Muhammadu Buhari: The challenges of leadership in Nigeria”, a biography on President Mohammadu Buhari in Abuja on Monday, 3rd October 2016, Nigerians were fed with half truths by the author, Prof John Paden, on how Osinbajo became the Vice President of the country. I don’t know how the author came about his story, but he totally got it wrong because what he wrote basically is based on falsehood that reeks of deliberate misinformation and mischief.

I know how Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu picked Vice President Yemi Osinbajo because I was part of the process that midwifed his nomination. In mid-December 2014, it was a Saturday morning after President Mohammadu Buhari had been picked by All Progressives Congress (APC), at the party’s presidential primaries at Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos. I received a phone call from Asiwaju to see him that morning. On my way to his house, I discovered that a car at a reasonable distance was that of former Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Dele Alake, who was, ostensibly, heading towards Asiwaju’s house in Ikoyi. Asiwaju must have called him too for that task that could be explained underneath.

As soon as we arrived, Asiwaju quickly asked us to join him in his car as we headed to a Guest House. At the Guest House, the former All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, Prof Yemi Osinbajo and one renowned pastor joined us.

At the meeting, Asiwaju related to us the urgent need to pick a vice presidential candidate for the APC. He advised that we immediately discard the idea of his being nominated for the vice presidential slot as it was no longer possible to pick a muslim-muslim ticket. This he reasoned made sense if indeed we were to be realistic in our bid to defeat President Good luck Jonathan in the 2015 election. He reasoned that what was important and imperative at that time was to look for a good Christian nominee to complement President Muhammadu Buhari.

I remember Baba Akande responded to his aversions that he would still have preferred that Asiwaju should be the running mate since it had been done before. Baba Akande was obviously referring to the MKO Abiola/ Babagana Kingibe nomination. Asiwaju responded by distinguishing the political equation then from what was before us at that point in time. He foreclosed that scenario as no longer possible. We all voiced our opinions, and at the end of the day, it was resolved that we had to get a Christian candidate.

It was at this point that Asiwaju reminded us to be fast in coming up with an option because he felt other geographical zones are also jostling for same position reiterating the need for the Southwest to get it as a must. Asiwaju audaciously told us for that left for him, and if he were to pick anyone, he would suggest Prof Yemi Osinbajo. That Osinbajo, apart from being a brilliant legal luminary, is also a committed progressive and democrat. And having been married to the late Obafemi Awolowo’s grand-daughter, it would not be a problem selling him to the old political establishment of Southwest for acceptance.

He asserted that Alake and I, having served in his cabinet could attest to the great works he did as attorney-general during his, Asiwaju’s administration as Governor of Lagos State. He also reasoned that the second major factor in favour of Osinbajo was the fact that he is a strong Christian and one that he is already a pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

In the long run, Osinbajo’s nomination was well received by all of us at that meeting and Prof Osinbajo was asked to start detailing with us, further strategy sessions to which he brought out his laptop and we all commenced a brainstorming session. The rest of the discussion was to strategise on how to contain other likely opponents from the Southwest zone before proceeding to Abuja to battle other regional zones in the coming nomination.

The meeting did not finish until about 9.00pm when we returned to Asiwaju’s residence in Bourdillon. By the time we returned to his house, there were about six serving governors already waiting to see him from different parts of Nigeria.

What is particularly sad now is that the book launch of the president was deployed to create a make-believe story that puts the society at a disadvantage of history. One would have thought that now that the progressives, through an uncommon alliance in 2015, created an upset by defeating, for the first time in the country’s history, the then ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), it might be taken as given that the role of all active participants in the exercise would be correctly recorded. But surprisingly and painfully too, such an avenue was used to create a historical distortion of facts.

If a political adversary had done that, one would not have been disturbed. This is because at the end of the day under such circumstance, the goal is usually to create a make-believe story that puts the society on a wrong side of history. But now that the progressives, through an uncommon alliance in 2015, created an upset by defeating, for the first time in the country’s history, the then ruling (PDP), it might be taken as given that the role of all active participants in the exercise would be correctly recorded. But surprisingly painful is the fact that an historical distortion of facts is coming from an unexpected quarters at this early stage of progressive politics.

It becomes more of a matter of concern when a renowned intellectual writes a book and begins to redefine events in his own way by abashedly evading facts that are bellowing in the public space in order to re-create a world of make-believe for his audience. Sincerely, such an act understandably becomes a matter to ponder seriously. Let us stop here. It is not all clothes that can be dried in the sun.

This article, written by Tunji Bello and first published October 7, 2016, is reproduced because of the issue at the moment.

https://thenationonlineng.net/how-tinubu-nominated-osinbajo/?fbclid=IwAR36-w5Q5stz05PV2Vd8HP25-a-u5Gbmv1fc2z24O7SyG2LsGx9QMOiiD_I

Abeg we should stop overheating the polity

No need reiterating this.

Even Osinbajo himself already said Asiwaju nominated him so I don't see a need to be wasting time debunking the fake news purposely peddled by mischief makers.

Since Tinubu is so concern about religion in politics as portrayed here, then common sense should as well tell him (Tinubu) that it's now time for Christian President and Muslim Vice president.

Obasanjo =Christian
Yaradua = Muslim
Jonathan = Christian
Buhari = Muslim

more pls

All of a sudden, both Osinbajo and Tinubu have gotten more PA's that worked for them in the past but can't remember

This version of Osinbajo nomination is pure lies. This story did not add up. I am disappointed in Tunji Bello for cooking up this poppycock in order to reflate BAT deflated ego.

Yemi Osibanjo-Odale

We don hear

Maxymilliano:
Since Tinubu is so concern about religion in politics as portrayed here, then common sense should as well tell him (Tinubu) that it's now time for Christian President and Muslim Vice president.

Obasanjo =Christian
Yaradua = Muslim
Jonathan = Christian
Buhari = Muslim

Now wait, do you think Osinbajo would make the declaration without Tinubu being aware?

If there are cracks within them, it's political story, we would have read details about it but all what we have been reading are speculations.

Remember, this same Tinubu toured Nigeria in 2015 as if he was the one contesting the presidency.

Less than 24 hours after Osinbajo met with all the Apc governors, Tinubu did the same while all attended. Can all the governors support both at the same time? Same message could have been conveyed by both Osinbajo and Tinubu to the Apc governors, don't you think?

Well, i dont believe the false distortion of history, i heard osinbajo spoke on national radio wayback 2015 that he was surprised to be recommended for the VP position by asiwaju tinubu.

I think Amosu and Aregbesola should come out and set the records straight.

Now that we know that Tinubu nominated Osinbajobecause he so much love religious balance of muslim-christian combination, how come he is now putting his selfish life-long ambition over the same religious balance?
Since 1999, we have had 4 presidents as follows:
OBJ (SW) - CHRISTIAN
YARDUA (NW) - MUSLIM
JONATHAN (SS) - CHRISTIAN
BUHARI (NW) - MUSLIM
Next should be
------------(SE) - CHRISTIAN

If Tinubu nominated a Christian based on the author's assertion, why is he now obssessed with his PERSONAL LIFE-LONG AMBITION over the same religious balance if not GREED, OJUKOKORO, AVARICE, DISCONTENTMENT, COVETIOUSNESS?

We have heard this over and over in fact multiple times and it starts to get boring. How hasnt been helped before? We are talking about the lives of 200 million Nigerians tweeting on WhatsApp

.

2023 Tinubu no shaking.