By James Orji
Professor Yemi Osinbajo is a formidable Presidential candidate considering the number of state governors backing him, one of his staunch supporters Kayode Ajulo, has said.
Ajulo, a human rights activist and National Secretary of the Labour party, said on Channels Television Politics Today that the vice president has received a bipartisan support from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and People’s Democratic Party, PDP governors for his presidential bid.
The vice president has not yet made his intention public. The initial reports that he will declare for president after the APC national convention coming up later this month, has been debunked by his media aide, Laolu Akande.
Besides, Osinbajo is under serious pressure to yield his ambition to his former principal and benefactor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former Governor of Lagos state and APC National Leader.
Apart from Osinbajo and Tinubu there are other Presidential hopefuls who have declared their interest in the nation’s top job.
The two leading political parties have yet to zone the presidency to any part of the country in the face serious agitation that the office should be zoned to the southern part of the country.
In spite of all of this, Ajulo said having served for seven years, Osinbajo is the right person to lead the country, noting that the vice president is a man of integrity who can be trusted by Nigerians to carry on from where Buhari stopped.
According to the rights activist, “we need to distinguish the office of the Vice President and the personality of Professor Yemi Osinbajo. As it is, his running for this election is non-negotiable,” he said.
“I can say that authoritatively and I think those in the presidency are listening. He has that fundamental right of the first refusal to that ticket, particularly being the vice president of the country.
“If he can be Vice President for so long, he should be the next President. I want to believe that the leadership of the party should believe that that is the position.
“Most of the governors in APC and PDP are even supporting the aspiration of the Vice President, this is so clear.”
Akande had last week dismissed reports that his principal will make his presidential intention public immediately after the APC convention. He described the report a rumour and the figment of imagination of those peddling such.
Osinbajo, he said, will speak on his presidential ambition at the appropriate time.
