Associates of All Progressives Congress, APC leader,
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu are lining up three possible running mates for
Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) should the former head of state prevail
in the forthcoming presidential nomination convention of the party.
The synergy between Team Buhari and the Tinubu camp was
formally brought to public light last Wednesday when many of Tinubu’s political
associates, including his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu got prominent presence
at Buhari’s public declaration for the presidency in Abuja.
The three prospective running mates, according to Vanguard
sources are Prof. Yemi Osibajo, a former commissioner in Lagos State, Senator
Ajayi Borofice presently representing Ondo North in the Senate and Mr. Wale
Edun, a former commissioner in Lagos State.
Two other choices in the consideration of Team Buhari,
the immediate past governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and another
former governor of Ekiti State, Otunba Niyi Adebayo were said to have been
taken off the radar by the Asiwaju forces on account of political differences.
The intrigues in the relationship between Dr. Fayemi and
Tinubu reached a crescendo last week when Tinubu absented himself from the
commissioning of the Ekiti State Government Liaison House in Lagos.
On the scheduled day of the commissioning, the APC leader
was said to have become invisible, sources close to the development told Vanguard,
a fact that seemed to underline the increasing political disconnect between the
once close men.
The projection of the three men, Borofice, Osibajo and
Edun by the Tinubu camp follows the rejection by the mainstream of the party of
a Muslim-Muslim ticket that would have seen a Buhari- Tinubu ticket.
Sources say that Tinubu may have lately withdrawn himself
to that fact and is now believed to be preparing himself to position his own
man to be a possible number two man for the country.
The consideration of Osibajo Vanguard
learnt is based on the twin factors of his relatively clean character and
respect in the Christian community. Osibajo, who served as attorney general and
commissioner for justice in the Tinubu cabinet has won a respectable image as a
senior pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
He is said to be fairly close to Pastor Enoch Adeboye,
the general overseer of the RCCG. Those rooting for him say that positioning
him on the ticket would balance any insinuation on the country drifting towards
an Islamic path as some critics of Buhari have sought to assert.
The consideration of Senator Borofice, it was learnt, was
aimed at strategically breaking up the hold of the Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP in the Ekiti/Ondo axis, where the PDP is presently known to have set its
foothold.
“By bringing out Borofice, who is about the only APC
senator elected official in the Ekiti/Ondo axis, we can push for 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.
Edun, who is reported to be the third person under
consideration served as commissioner of finance for the two terms Governor
Tinubu between 1999 and 2007 and 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.
Both Osibajo and Borofice were acclaimed at Buhari’s
declaration. Edun’s presence at the event could not be confirmed at press time.
One other prospective nominee, Senator Olurunnimbe Mamora Vanguard
learnt was like Dr. Fayemi not being favourably considered by the Tinubu camp
ostensibly because of his independent trait, which reportedly came to fore in
the testy days leading to Governor Babatunde Fashola’s certification of a
second term ticket in 2011. Mamora was also present at Buhari’s event.
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