Igbawase Ukumba writes that Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State thinks Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is good-to-go for the Presidency if he chooses to contest
When Dr Aliyu Kurfi, Chairman of the Progressives Consolidation Group (PCG) led his powerful group on an advocacy visit to Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State soliciting for support to enable Vice President Yemi Osinbajo succeed his principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, by 2023, he said the PCG came on its own without the consent of the Vice President. Yet he said the group was convinced to start making the advocacy for Osinbajo to succeed Buhari because of his (Osinbajo) impressive vision for the country.
Hence he told Governor Sule during the advocacy visit: “We are here sir on a very serious business, the serious business of political succession. We are on our own mission, but engineered by the vision of one of our elder statesmen, Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. We have gone through the various record of activities, life histories and of course the trends of events in politics and we have agreed as an association to work towards the promotion of his candidature.”
“We made this decision because we believe with all honesty that we have a professional gentleman if given the opportunity will not only continue the good work of Mr President, but with gentlemen like you to support, make Nigeria a better place for all of us,” he said.”
Kurfi added that the Vice President if given the mandate to rule Nigeria, will among other things ensure that the rule of law is entrenched across the country due to his background in the law profession.
“His foresight in so many areas will be useful for Nigeria. He is a man who is a detribalised person and a man who is detached from the shallow thinking of many of us who are tribal bigots. We believe we have a gentleman whose thinking is simply that of Nigeria and Nigeria alone. We believe he is a gentleman whose political competence knows no bounds. So we have every reason to sell him for the benefit of Nigeria. That is why we are here,” Kurfi maintained.
Nevertheless, Governor Sule did not hesitate to vouch for the Vice President as a sellable product for the 2023 presidency as he assured the Progressive Consolidation Group that “Osinbajo is a sellable presidential product if he chooses to contest the presidential elections in 2023.”
Sule thanked the group for the visit and for intimating him of their advocacy for the presidential candidature of Osinbajo and their desire for him to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 and consolidate on the achievements of the present administration. He then assured them that they had nothing to worry about if the Vice President chooses to contest the 2023 Presidential elections because he was a sellable candidate for the party whose antecedent as an astute politician speaks volumes.
The governor continued: “You are speaking about continuation which is what we believe here in Nasarawa State. You have been speaking about consolidation, and we know the challenges of consolidation and continuation of our party. This is a political party that is lucky or unlucky to be built around one man. And for us, the progressive governors are seeing at how do we sustain the party beyond the one man.
Sule asserted that APC governors will support Osinbajo, stressing that he is a sellable candidate.
“Our concern is how we will sustain the party beyond President Buhari. So, if you come up with the idea, you know you will not only get my attention but the attention of every progressive governor in the country,” the Nasarawa governor assured the Progressives Consolidation Group.
Apart from the Nasarawa State governor, the group also paid courtesy calls on the Speaker of the Nasarawa state House of Assembly, Hon. Ibrahim Balarebe and the Emir of Lafia and Chairman of the Nasarawa State Council of Traditional Rulers, Justice Sidi Bage (rtd).
At the Nasarawa State House of Assembly Complex, the Chairman of the Progressive Consolidation Group told the Speaker of the House and his members that the PCG was at the State Assembly on voluntary mission in the interest of the party and the country at large. This was even as Kurfi commended the leadership qualities of the Nasarawa Assembly Speaker and the cordial working relationship between the three arms of government in the state, hitherto calling for its sustenance.
“It is our hope that by now party men of good will should begin something early in the search and selection. That is why we are here on a voluntary mission in the interest of APC and Nigeria at large. We are on a mission for Osinbajo for President come 2023 for a smooth transition,” Kurfi maintained.
For the Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, when the time to choose who will be the country’s next president comes, the position that will be taken by Governor Sule will be the position and direction of the state Assembly. He emphasized that Nasarawa State was one of the few states in the country that have absolute stability in APC, adding that that scenario will remain and the state will continue to remain one united family now and beyond 2023.
Speaker Abdullahi assured the Progressives Consolidation Group: “This is your House, because out of the 24 honourable members that forms this House, APC has 20 members. So I said it is your House because it is APC’s House. Beside, we work as one united family. Here in Nasarawa State, we have our leader, our father, who is the governor. The governor is our leader and we shall be looking unto him to give us direction”
“Whatever Governor Sule agreed with you is our position. The position of Governor Sule is the position of Nassarawa State House of Assembly. Yes, the Vice President, all Nigerians know that he is a very loyal person to Mr President. He is also very hardworking. We are looking at him and the President as twin brothers. The Vice President, our expectations is for him to continue to be loyal and hardworking,” the Speaker expressed the state lawmakers expectations.
The Speaker promised to continue to synergize with Governor Abdullahi Sule for good working relationship to ensure that the people of the state get the best of governance.