Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday received three All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and the national chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu.
According to a source close to the meeting, the governors were at the Office of the Vice President to inform him of the outcome of their meeting.
The source told Chronicle NG that the governors have agreed on a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari after heated arguments at the Kebbi Governors Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja the previous day.
The source said that some aspirants on the platform have already began visiting Osinbajo to tell him that they will support his candidature as presidential candidate of the party in 2023.
The source noted that the governors eventually agreed that Osinbajo is the most popular aspirant within the party.
“The delegates are endeared to Osinbajo and most of the governors feared that they will vote their hearts at the convention, the reason they settled for Osinbajo.
The source added that, “Although the governors do not know who the President was categorially referring to, it was clear to them that it was his deputy, Prof. Osinbajo. This is another reason why they settled for Osinbajo.
The source told Chronicle NG that the outburst of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in Abeokuta, Ogun State was not unconnected with the visit to the Vice President.
“The chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Governor Abubakar Bagudu, asked his colleagues to reach out to other aspirants to step down for the Vice President but we know that all candidates will take this lightly.
“The outburst of the party’s national leader in Ogun State was not unconnected with the agreement of the governors forum. He probably has been briefed of the decision of the governors.
Chronicle NG reported that Tinubu in Abeokuta stated categorically that without him President Buhari would not have emerged President in 2015.
The visibly pissed off former governor of Lagos state also lashed out at the incumbent governor of Ogun state, Dapo Abiodun, for refusing to endorse him for the 2023 presidential election.
“If not me that led the war front, Buhari wouldn’t have emerged. He contested first, second and third times, but lost. He even said on television that he won’t contest again.
“But I went to his home in Katsina. I told him you would contest and win, but you won’t joke with the matters of the Yorubas. Since he has emerged I have not been appointed minister. I didn’t get contract.
Chronicle NG reported that President Buhari on Tuesday urged governors and stakeholders to allow him pick his successor.
Speaking to the governors, President Buhari said, “In keeping with the established internal policies of the Party and as we approach the Convention in a few days, therefore, I wish to solicit the reciprocity and support of the Governors and other stakeholders in picking my successor, who would fly the flag of our party for election into the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023.
“I wish to assure you that the consultation process shall continue to ensure that all aspirants and stakeholders would be brought on board right through to the convention. This would also ensure that any anxiety occasioned by different factors are effectively brought under control and that our party emerges stronger.”
