The camp of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the APC national leader may have perfected their strategies to ensure one of their own emerges as running mate to Gen. Mohammadu Buhari, if he eventually wins the party’s presidential ticket.
According to Vanguard report, Asiwaju Tinubu’s associates have line up three possible running mates to the retired General and former military head of state. The three, according to the report, include Prof. Yemi Osibajo, a former Commissioner of Justice in Lagos State, Senator Ajayi Borofice, a serving Senator representing Ondo north in the senate and Mr. Wale Edun, a former Commissioner for Finance under Tinubu.
The preference for the candidature of the Tinubu camps is daily becoming an open secret and this was reinforced by the presence of many of the former governor’s associates at the formal declaration of General Buhari in Abuja last week Wednesday. Prominent amongst those present at the declaration were Tinubu’s wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Gov. Babatunde Raji Fashola, Prof. Osibajo, Senator Borofice and a host of others.
It will be recalled that the idea of a Buhari/Tinubu presidential ticket became prominent a few months back, but became a source of controversy as a section of the country viewed it as an attempt to impose a Muslim/Muslim ticket on the country. The controversy led to the defection of some prominent members of the party to the PDP. It was eventually rejected by the mainstream of the party.
The rejection of the Muslim/Muslim ticket, sources say might have propelled Asiwaju Tinubu to be propping up his trusted allies for the number two position in the country.
According to investigations, Osibajo is being considered because of his relatively clean image, his standing in the Christian community as a senior pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG and as a close confidant of the church’s general overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye. He was Asiwaju Tinubu’s Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General for eight years. It is believed that a joint Buhari/Osibajo ticket will balance the religious equation and erase whatever misgivings the Christian community may have concerning Buhari as president.
For Senator Borofice, sources say he came into the equation because of the need to break up the PDP hold on the Ondo/Ekiti axis of the Southwest.
“By bringing out Borofice, who is about the only APC Senator elected official in the Ondo axis, we can push for our presence in the two states given that the PDP is in control of those two states,” a close associate of Tinubu said at the weekend.
Youth may be the only difference why Mr. Wale Edun, who served as a Commissioner of Finance for Tinubu’s eight years in office is being considered, as he is said to be in position to bring relative youth to a presidency under Buhari’s watch.
“Our consideration of Edun is on the need of young blood, given that Buhari is now of age and would need young savvy men to keep him in track,” a source said.
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