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Finally, Buhari settles for Tinubu ally, Yemi Osinbajo, as running mate
December 17, 2014
Festus Owete
After days of marathon meetings and horse-trading, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress [APC], Muhammadu Buhari, has settled for a former Attorney General of Lagos, Yemi Osinbajo, as his running mate, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report.
A source close to Mr. Buhari said the APC agreed on Mr. Osinbajo Tuesday night as a concession to a former Lagos Governor, Bola Tinubu, who for days pushed himself forward for the slot.
Mr. Tinubu’s presumed candidature, according to party sources, was aggressively pushed by former party chairman, Bisi Akande, and a cohort of south west governors, which did not sink well with many of his own long time allies.
However an influential league of young party leaders, buoyed by two poll results that suggested South-west Yoruba would welcome a muslim-muslim ticket provided the vice presidential pick is competent, veered towards Babatunde Fashola, incumbent governor of Lagos State .
Mr. Tinubu’s first choice candidate however was Yemi Osinbajo, 55, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, and University of Lagos professor of commercial law, who helped rebuild the Lagos State judiciary as a national reference point.
He was a two-term attorney-general of the state, and connected to the powerful Awolowo political dynasty by marriage. He is married to the late Obafemi Awolowo’s grand daughter.
Party insiders, who do not want to be named, told PREMIUM TIMES in Lagos that once Mr. Buhari expressed open preference to have a running mate from the South West, Mr. Tinubu offered him a three-man list that had Mr. Osinbajo, himself [Tinubu], and Mr. Fashola.
The Tinubu gambit, according to his aides, was, however, a strategic ploy to reinforce Mr. Osinbajo’s candidature and dim Mr. Fashola’s chances since it seemed Mr. Buhari appeared to have a soft spot for him.
“In essence, Tinubu, while promoting claims to his own candidature, was actually playing a wedge politics to fend off opposition to Osinbajo,” one of his closest aides said in Abuja Tuesday night.
Mr. Osinbajo, a top cleric in the powerful Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, and the Chairman of the governing board of the Redeemer’s University, was thought to be a powerful choice to match the Jonathan ticket that has been wooing the Christian constituency through serial pilgrimages, and the subtle elevation of the status of the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria to a virtual presidential adviser’s position.
The ruling Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] and many of its campaign slogans have sought to milk the deficit implicit in a possible Muslim-Muslim ticket, an arrangement that would have emerged in the event of either a Tinubu or Fashola candidature as running mates.
Party leaders, offering insight on the vice presidential pick, said “Yes, it has been agreed that Mr. Osinbajo should be the one, it was finally agreed last night. There is going to be a press conference to present him today.”
Professor Osinbajo, who is also the resident minister at the Olive Tree parish of the Redeemed Church on Banana island of Lagos State, is one of the closest aides to the Church’s General Overseer and revered clergyman, Enoch Adeboye.
He has at various times been Master of Ceremony at the church’s Holy Ghost Convention and Congreses usually held at its Camp Ground along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
By choosing Mr. Osinbajo, Mr. Buhari is making history of running with another cleric and lawyer.
Tunde Bakare, the iconoclastic cleric who ministers at the Latter Rain Assembly was his running mate in the 2011 presidential election. Mr. Bakare also trained as a lawyer who worked in the law offices of the late Gani Fawehinmi and the late Rotimi Williams.
Nevertheless, before settling for Mr. Osinbajo, the leadership of the APC had first resolved that neither Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State nor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo in the South-South geo-political zone would be on the ticket by narrowing its search to the South West region.
In line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010, political parties have up till Thursday to submit names of their presidential and vice presidential candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC].
The National Chairman of the APC, John Odigie-Oyegun, had told journalists on Tuesday that the party would announce its presidential running mate today in keeping with the nation’s electoral law.
Buhari formally presents Osinbajo as APC presidential running mate
December 17, 2014
Sani Tukur
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Muhammadu Buhari has formally presented Yemi Osinbajo, a professor of law and former attorney general and commissioner for Justice in Lagos state, as his running mate.
Making the presentation at the national secretariat of the APC in Abuja, Mr. Buhari said he sought advice from within and outside the party before making his choice.
He said Mr. Osinbajo was chosen because he was a man of “impeccable integrity”.
PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported how Mr. Buhari and the party settled for Mr. Osinbajo after days of meetings and consultations.
Mr. Osinbajo is an ally of a former governor of Lagos State, Ahmed Tinubu, who also pushed to be on the Buhari ticket.
Read our earlier report below:
After days of marathon meetings and horse-trading, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress [APC], Muhammadu Buhari, has settled for a former Attorney General of Lagos, Yemi Osinbajo, as his running mate, PREMIUM TIMES can authoritatively report.
A source close to Mr. Buhari said the APC agreed on Mr. Osinbajo Tuesday night as a concession to a former Lagos Governor, Bola Tinubu, who for days pushed himself forward for the slot.
Mr. Tinubu’s presumed candidature, according to party sources, was aggressively pushed by party chairman, Mr. Bisi Akande, and a cohort of south west governors, which did not sink well with many of his own long-time allies.
However an influential league of young party leaders, buoyed by two poll results that suggested South-west Yoruba would welcome a muslim-muslim ticket provided the vice presidential pick is competent, veered towards Babatunde Fashola, incumbent governor of Lagos State .
Mr. Tinubu’s first choice candidate however was Mr. Yemi Osinbajo, 55, a senior advocate of Nigeria, and University of Lagos professor of commercial law who helped rebuild the Lagos State judiciary as a national reference point. Mr. Osinbajo studied law at the University of Lagos and the London School of Economics where he earned his doctorate degree.
He was a two-term attorney-general of the state, and connected to the powerful Awolowo political dynasty by marriage. He is married to the Late Chief Awolowo’s granddaughter.
Inside party sources, who do not want to be named, told PREMIUM TIMES in Lagos that once Mr. Buhari expressed open preference to have a running mate from the South West, Mr. Tinubu offered him a three-man list that had Mr. Osinbajo, himself [Tinubu], and Mr. Fashola.
The Tinubu gambit, according to his aides, was, however, a strategic ploy to reinforce Mr. Osinbajo’s candidature and dim Mr. Fashola’s chances since it seemed Mr. Buhari appeared to have a soft preference for him.
“In essence, Tinubu, while promoting claims to his own candidature, was actually playing a wedge politics to fend off opposition to Osinbajo,” one of his closest aides said in Abuja Tuesday night.
Mr. Osinbajo, a top cleric in the powerful Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, and the Chairman of the governing board of the Redeemer’s University, was thought to be a powerful choice to match the Jonathan ticket that has been wooing the Christian constituency through serial pilgrimages, and the subtle elevation of the status of the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria to a virtual presidential adviser’s position.
The ruling People’s Democratic Party [PDP] and many of its campaign slogans have sought to milk the deficit implicit in a possible Muslim-Muslim ticket, an arrangement that would have emerged in the event of either a Tinubu or Fashola candidature as running mates.
Party leaders, offering insight on the vice presidential pick, said “Yes, it has been agreed that Mr. Osinbajo should be the one, it was finally agreed last night. There is going to be a press conference to present him today.
Professor Osinbajo, who is also the resident minister at the Olive Tree parish of the Redeemed Church on Banana island of Lagos State, is one of the closest aides to Church’s General Overseer and revered clergyman, Enoch Adeboye. He has at various times been Master of Ceremony at the church’s Holy Ghost Convention and Congresses usually held at its Camp Ground along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
By the choice of Mr. Osinbajo, Mr. Buhari is making history to run with another cleric and lawyer. Tunde Bakare, the iconoclastic cleric who ministers at the Latter Rain Assembly was his running mate in the 2011 presidential election. Mr. Bakare also trained as a lawyer who worked in the law offices of the late Gani Fawehinmi and the late Rotimi Williams.
Nevertheless, before settling for Mr. Osinbajo, the leadership of the APC had first resolved either Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State or Adams Oshiomhole of Edo in the South-South geo-political zone by narrowing its search to the South West region.
In line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010, political parties have up till Thursday to submit names of their presidential and vice presidential candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC].
The National Chairman of the APC, John Odigie-Oyegun, had told journalists on Tuesday that the party would announce its presidential running mate today in keeping with the nation’s electoral law.
VANGUARD
Why I chose Osinbajo – Buhari
on December 17, 2014 / in News 6:39 pm / Comments
*says Nigeria has no business with poverty
By Levinus Nwabughiogu
ABUJA – The presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, General Mohammadu Buhari, Wednesday, formerly presented his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
At a brief ceremony held at the national secretariat of APC in Abuja to publicly unveil Osinbajo, Buhari stated he chose Osinbajo as his running mate based on his impeccable integrity.
He stated that the process of choosing his running mate was both meticulous and rigorous.
“The challenging process of rescuing our country and changing Nigeria for good has commenced. One of the first decisions that I have to make is the choice of the Vice-Presidential candidate and my running mate.
“The method employed in this choice was quite meticulous but yet rigorous. 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.
“To assist me in this great task of securing Nigeria’s future, I have chosen a man of unimpeachable integrity, an excellent professional, a man of faith, a devoted family man and a role model to our fellow countrymen and women. He is a professor of law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. 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.
APC Presidential candidate, Gen. Mohammed Buhari with his running mate Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN , Abuja. Photo: Gbemiga Olamikan
“The Vice-Presidential candidate is a friend of the less privileged, compassionate and zealous in service. A man of uncommon humility, a loyal, dependable and selfless patriot.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I present Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who by the grace of God and the vote of Nigerians will be the next Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Buhari said.
In his acceptance speech as a running mate, Osinbajo expressed gratitude to Buhari and the APC for finding him worthy to serve.
He pledged to work with Buhari and the party if elected into office to restore the hope of Nigerians.
He said: “I am deeply honoured and grateful to have been nominated as the Vice-Presidential candidate of our party, APC and especially the Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari.
“I also thank the leaders and elders of our great party, APC for the trust reposed in me.
“The task of rebuilding this nation is one to which I am fully committed. There can be no other President, Leader and commander that can lead that common sense revolution Nigeria urgently needs than General Muhammadu Buhari. I will proudly serve this country with him.
“General Buhari’s uprightness and fierce commitment to good governance is well known. It will be a privilege to work with him. I come to this assignment with lots of hope and a resolve to be a part of this movement to bring Nigeria back to its lost glory. With the support of all Nigerians and the help of God, we shall make Nigeria work again.
“I will work with him and the party to restore hope and confidence in millions of our youth and provide comfort and security for millions of our country men and women.
I thank you all”.
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