May 05, (THEWILL) – Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo contested for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the interest of the public, his spokesperson, Laolu Akande, said on Friday.
THEWILL recalls that Osinbajo and thirteen other presidential aspirants including the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, screened by the APC, contested the presidential primary election of the party in June 2022.
Osinbajo, who was the Attorney-General of Lagos when Tinubu was governor of the state, had drawn criticism from members of the Lagos APC, who described his ambition as a betrayal of his perceived godfather, Tinubu.
While the Vice President lost the APC presidential ticket to Tinubu, he was also absent from the campaign trail of the APC presidential candidate in the run-up to the elections.
Speaking on Friday, when he featured in an interview on Channels Television, Akande said Osinbajo contested the APC Presidential ticket because the Vice President possesses the necessary experience, qualifications and inspirational leadership qualities for the office of the president.
His words: “What is important is that you take the step you want to take in the best interest of the people. Public interest is the overriding factor.
“You couldn’t have been vice-president for eight years, and the kind of vice-president that he has been, and how much work that has been done.
“The level of understanding that you have acquired in terms of what has to be done and the capacity he has demonstrated when he had the opportunity to act for the president.
“And he has inspired tens and scores of millions of Nigerians with his leadership style. People see him as a representation of a new Nigeria. All of these can’t be in place and he just walks away.
“He did what he needed to do and the party made the decision and he just has to move on after doing the right thing.”
