2023: Osinbajo ‘A Pawn On The Chessboard’ – Lagos APC Spokesperson

The spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos, Seye Oladejo, has criticised Vice President Yemi Osinbajo over his decision to throw his hat into the ring for the party’s ticket ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Mr Oladejo, in a statement in Lagos on Monday, said the vice president has merely exercised his constitutional right to contest.

“There is no problem. We knew he was going to declare. They should allow us to go to the primary. Let him come and face Asiwaju (Tinubu),” said Mr Oladejo, who declared his interest to contest for the House of Representatives, last weekend.

Mr Osinbajo’s declaration on Monday pits him against his former boss and political benefactor, Bola Tinubu.

Mr Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, announced his interest in the country’s number one seat last January.

Mr Tinubu is widely believed to be instrumental in the emergence of Mr Osinbajo, a Law professor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, as Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate in 2015.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader, Bola Tinubu. [CREDIT: Tinubu Twitter Page]
“I am not worried at all. We acknowledge his constitutional right to contest. We also observed keenly how he struggled to paint his role in the past eight years in gold,” Mr Oladejo continued.

“At a time l thought I was listening to a dirge until I realized it was a political declaration in a living room. Nigerians will have something to say about the scorecard in the fullness of time. The last time I checked, the Vice President was in charge of the economy.

“The only demand is for us to go to primary. Let us see how much support Osinbajo can garner from the party members. This is someone who could not even win his polling booth.

“I’m not aware of any change in political relevance and popularity since the last elections. I want to congratulate him for finally summoning the courage to throw his hat to the ring.

“We know that Nigerians at this time need a prepared president who has paid his dues in enthroning democracy, mentoring potential leaders and being an intestine helper to numerous people aside from being the reference point for good governance in Nigeria.”

Mr Osinbajo’s declaration to run for president did not surprise many. Over the past weeks, he had traversed the country holding consultations with notable politicians.

But it angered a lot of Mr Tinubu’s loyalists who accused him of betrayal.

A few hours after his declaration, social media accounts sympathetic to Mr Tinubu’s cause began trending ‘Judas,’ an apparent reference to the Biblical Judas who betrayed his master, Jesus.

This is the week that Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus Christ in the Christian calendar. That this declaration is coming this same week is not a mere coincidence. May God be with Tinubu in Pilates’ Court when he shall face the Peoples verdict on whether to pardon him or nail him.

On Monday, Mr Tinubu publicly declined to speak on the vice president’s declaration.

Mr Oladejo maintained that Mr Tinubu enjoys a lot of support across Nigeria.

“There are a lot of people who will come out to support him all over the country; even more in the North than South. So, we will be ready,” he said.

“We know Osinbajo is just a pawn on the chessboard of some game-masters.

“The message in the fact that this declaration came during the Holy Week is definitely not lost on all and sundry.”