The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and presidential aspirant, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Thursday spoke on the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in 2015 and Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun in 2019.
Tinubu, who visited Ogun State, in continuation of his tour to woo delegates for the forthcoming presidential primary of the APC, specifically declared, that he made the trio what they are politically, today.
The aspirant, who was accompanied on the tour by some serving and former governors, ministers, deputy governors, senators and a host of others, said he was saying all he said for the first time because there was need for him to talk.
He said, “… Buhari would not have been president. It is over 25 years that I have been serving them. This one sitting by me, Dapo Abiodun, he could not have become the governor without me. Since the time we started with the Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and now the All Progressives Congress (APC), I wanted to contest for President that time.
“This is me telling you between my life and God Almighty, Buhari called me to be his Vice President. He said because the first time he contested, he picked Okadigbo, flamboyant, Catholic, but Nigerians didn’t vote for him.
“The second time, he picked another Igbo, Ume Ezeoke, Nigerians didn’t vote for him, that if he goes to bring the Pope to run as his vice, Nigerians won’t vote for him, but you Bola Tinubu, you have six governors, you have never lost an election before, come and be my vice.
“He knew all the calculations then favoured us, that was why he wanted me as his vice, but I told him to let us build the party first. And when we finished building the party, after we brought in people from the PDP, Saraki now saw those from the PDP will not get anything if Buhari , a Muslim becomes the President and me, also a Muslim becomes his vice, he won’t get the Senate President and the Senate President cannot also be a Muslim, that was how they started the campaign of calumny against me.
“And I told them that I have a candidate that is a Christian that I can nominate so that the party will not break, that was how I nominated Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. I surrendered my right to him (Osinbajo).
“I was asked to submit three names: Yemi Cardozo, Wale Edun and Yemi Osinbajo, but I said that if I submitted three names, it is like open your door, for a thief. They may add the fourth name and choose that one. So I insisted on only one name. You are hearing this thing from me for the first time.” (THISDAY)
