By Fola James
Highly respected General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG Pastor E.A Adedoye recently at the October Holy Ghost Service, to mark the nation’s 59 Independence urged the members of his church to pray to God to fight for Nigerian leaders.
Close watchers of recent event in the presidency said the RCCG leader may have decided to seek God’s face over allege plot by some powerful politicians in Aso Rock to oust Vice President Yemi Osinbajo from power.
Osinbajo, a top pastor of the church is very close to the General Overseer, and sources said he has reached out to his spiritual father to help him seek God’s face against forces in the presidency that are after him.
Aso Rock Cabal Not The Problem
Abba Kyari the chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari has been under fire from Nigerians, particularly, supporters of Vice president Yemi Osinbajo for being responsible for the problems now facing the nation’s number two citizen.
Why Tinubu Moved Against Osinbajo
But Osinbajo’s problem, a source close to his office, recently informed The Source, emanated from his effort to secure a second term for the immediate past governor of Lagos state, Akinwumi Ambode.
Recall that Ambode fell out with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, National Leader of All Progressives Congress, APC ahead the governorship race earlier conducted this year by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
According to the source, Osinbajo has sought the intervention of President Buhari on the issue after Governor Ambode reached out to him.
The vice President also agreed to take the matter up with Buhari after Ambode’s wife and some members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG intervened on the matter.
RCCG Pastors Begged Osinbajo To Intervene
Ambode’s wife is a pastor with RCCG where Osinbanjo is also a very senior clergy. He’s close to the General Overseer, G.O of the church, Pastor E.A Adeboye.
“Osinbajo took the matter to Buhari to appeal to Tinubu so that Ambode will be forgiven and allowed to contest for a second term after some prominent members of his church led a ‘secret delegation’ to him in Abuja,” the source said.
Asked whether Pastor Adeboye directly tried to intervene in the matter, the source said” Baba Adeboye did not dabble in politics” that “it was some prominent and influential members of the church that took the matter up with the vice president after Ambode’s wife reached out to them.”
“The vice president finally mentioned the matter to Buhari after much pressure, though he was initially reluctant, so as not to offend his mentor and benefactor, Asiwaju Tinubu,” he stated.
Tinubu, Akande Met Buhari In Aso Rock
President Buhari later invited Tinubu and Bisi Akande, a former governor of Osun state and close associate of the APC leader to Aso Rock where they eventually discussed the matter, the sources also stated.
“But when Tinubu got to Aso Rock he met Osinbajo with Buhari already seated. He was surprised because Buhari didn’t mention it to him that Osinbajo will be part of the meeting,” he said.
After the meeting, it was very clear that Asiwaju was not happy and he later told Akande his mind “ that he was disappointed that something will be going on in the Presidency and Osinbajo will not inform him about it,” the source said.
He explained that the APC leader considered the action of Osinbajo a coup against him “that Osinbajo was trying to join other contending forces in Lagos state to take the state away from him,” the source also stated.
Tinubu Warned Not To Move Against Osinbajo
The former Lagos state helmsman, the source said initially wanted to take up the matter with the vice president, but was advised by his inner advisers of the danger of doing so, considering that the party was preparing for general election.
“They warned him that such will cause problem within the ranks of the ruling APC and could affect its chance in the presidential election because the PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar were already gaining ground at the time,” another source stated.
Asiwaju Tinubu was advised to leave the matter to rest until after the election when “he will have enough room to bare his fangs against the vice president,” the magazine was told.
They were right. Just few months into Buhari’s second term, the center has refused to hold for Osinbajo as it has been one problem after the other.
He has been embroiled in one problem or the other, including allegation that he’s involved in official graft.
The allegations include the misappropriation of billions of naira NEMA funds; mismanagement of Trader Moni Scheme, set up under his office to assist extremely poor Nigerians and petty traders; he was also accused of taking over N90 billion from the FIRS to fund the last general election in favor of his party.
Timi Frank, a former spokesman of APC raised the allegation a forthnight ago, demandin that Osinbajo be investigated alongside the Executive Chairman of FIRS, Babatunde Fowler.
Powerful GAC Members Intervene
Some close associate of Osinbajo are blaming Tinubu for all of these.
They said the belief that Osinbajo is becoming more popular and may decide to contest the president in 2023 has further fuelled the animosity between the two political associates.
“The unusual silence of Tinubu since the problem started is seriously causing disquiet in the camp of the vice president,” a member of the powerful Governorship Advisory Council, GAC, a special advisory body made up of prominent Lagos politicians, told the magazine yesterday.
He explained that “some members of GAC hav been trying to intervene, so that we can form a united front for Asiwaju 2023 presidential ambition. Because no matter how you look at the matter a quarrel between Asiwaju and Osinbajo is not definitely a good omen for Tinubu presidential ambition. We must put our house in order against the northern forces trying to truncate our plan to make sure Asiwaju succeeds Buhari,” the GAC member said.
Watchers of Nigeria’s seat of power, Aso Villa have blamed Kyari and an existing cabal in Aso Rock for the allege frosty relationship between President Buhari and his vice.
But recent revelations indicate that Osinbajo presidency problem came from his political base in Lagos, where the godfather of the state’s politics has singled him out for punishment over his alliance with Ambode.
President Buhari has recently stripped Osinbajo of some of his powers, including removing some core government agencies from his purview.
For instance, the president has watered down the powers of his vice after constituting a parallel economic council apart from the National Economic Council, NEC headed by the vice president.
Other important agencies such as the NEMA have also been moved to federal government ministries, all in the effort “to decapitate the vice president” a source told the magazine yesterday.
