2023 presidency: The odds against Osinbajo – Senator Adeniyi

In politics, they say, there is no use throwing the guard only to find out that nobody is following. But that is the scenario the recent declaration of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for the 2023 presidential race has been likened to by the Ekiti State Coordinator of SWAGA-Southwest Agenda for Asiwaju, Senator Anthony Adeniyi.

In this interview, he described the former Lagos State governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as a political colossus too big for Osinbajo to challenge, questioning his moral conscience, as well as political structure to contest the race.   

The masquerade has finally been unveiled. After months of speculations and denials, the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo has ultimately put paid to his ambition to run for the presidency.  What scenario are you looking at here in the Southwest?

Honestly, I believe Osinbajo has the right to have the ambition to be president. But looking at the moral side of it, one would be scared at this point. Not sacred that Asiwaju will lose, but as a pastor, a Yoruba man from Ogun State, and his relationship with Tinubu, I think he ought to have stepped down his ambition to support Tinubu. But there is no morality in politics. We are in it together.  We are the people who enticed Tinubu to contest; we are the people who encouraged him by forming SWAGA-Southwest Agenda for Asiwaju. Since Osinbajo has thrown his hat into the ring, he will meet us there. Politics is dirty. I only hope he has enough thick skin to be able to withstand criticisms and comments. That is my feeling.

A lot of people are looking at the past political rivalry between Awolowo and S. L Akintola, on one hand, and Earnest Shonekan and Abiola on the other hand. Is there not likely to be a re-enactment of history in this 2023 presidential race?

No, I don’t think so. Osinbajo only has a vaulting ambition that he wants to actualise. And Asiwaju is fully prepared for it. He is an octopus in the political field. I don’t have any such fear at all. It is not going to be a reenactment of what happened between Awolowo and Akintola. You know, Akintola didn’t disturb Awolowo, he only pursued his own interest with the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC). I think as a religious man that he professes to be, he should have considered the moral side of the whole thing before pursuing his ambition. Whatever is the case, it was Asiwaju that discovered him and brought him to the limelight. He had his hands in his emergence as vice president because if Tinubu had insisted to be vice president, Buhari would not have had enough courage to go ahead with his appointment as vice president.

Some analysts have argued that the interest of one person to whom he owes allegiance cannot be placed above the 200 million Nigerians who are desirous of good governance. How does that sound to you?

He is not the best person who can aspire to redress all misdeeds that the government has foisted on Nigerians. So, the argument that his allegiance should be to 200 million Nigerians rather than one person is misplaced because nobody has given him anything. If the party is interested in coming back to the centre, is he the best material that can rule Nigeria?  No, he does not owe anybody any allegiance.

But there is no gainsaying that Southwest is going to be the hotbed of politics this time around. Don’t you think so?

No. I don’t see him pulling anything. He is not a politician. We are expecting him; we are waiting to see where he would start from. Even the Anakene of Ikene, his hometown, had voiced his support for Tinubu before now. So, there is no hotbed anywhere in the Southwest. I am one of the pioneers who formed SWAGA and we went round the palaces of all the Obas, they were praying for Tinubu to show interest. Where he is starting from?

Do you mean you don’t see him splitting the votes in the Southwest during the APC’s primary?

No, he has no political structure to monster votes. We know him in politics. We have a forum called Southwest Senators’ Forum; nobody has even mentioned him. Nobody is suggesting that he should come and join the race. It is his personal ambition. He has the constitutional right to nurse that ambition. His ambition will have no effect on Asiwaju because he has gone far ahead. He has covered enough political mileage both in the South and the North. Asiwaju is too big for anybody to challenge him. I am not saying that definitely, he will be there, only God knows who will finally emerge as president. But with things on the ground, Asiwaju is too big for him to challenge.    

Don’t forget that he already met with APC governors. Who knows the deal he struck with them?

Asiwaju too met the governors. In fact, some of the governors are Asiwaju’s die-hards. He had his own plan too which he executed.

In politics, nothing is settled until it is settled. Looking at the composition of the new National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC, do you think Asiwaju has a chance to pick the presidential ticket?

What really happened in the last national convention is that the president supported Abdullahi Adamu and Asiwaju supported the secretary. Those are the topmost positions. Most of the people that emerged are Asiwaju’s men. Whosoever is holding the opinion that the composition of the NWC is not in favour of Asiwaju is just holding it without basis. Mind you, it is not the NWC that is going to vote, it is the delegates. And those of us delegates from all over the country, we have gathered our number and we know Asiwaju has the number. Where is Osinbajo going to start? How many delegates can he garner in Ogun his home state? He does not have a political structure. You know it.

But there is speculation that he has the president’s nod to go for the race. That itself is an advantage. Isn’t it?

Whoever is speculating should support his speculation with facts. And I don’t think that is right.

Are you confident that there will be a level-playing field for all aspirants?

Why not? Asiwaju is the master of the game. When we had 2014 primary that gave Buhari the ticket, money (dollars) were shared, I don’t want to mention names now and Asiwaju gathered his own people in support of Buhari.

If you are so confident that Asiwaju’s ticket will earn him the ticket, why is the widespread insinuation that he might eventually join forces with the Social Democratic Party (SDP)?

Whoever is insinuating that is doing it for himself. He has not discussed that with any of us his followers.

The feeler out there is that Nigerians want a complete break from the current experience. How about that?

As an APC man, I won’t say the government has done badly. We have done very well as a party. We are not saying that we have performed very well in all ramifications, but if there have weaknesses that are manifest in our performance as a party, somebody else will come and strengthen them.      

Where does Asiwaju stand among the array of aspirants on the platform of the APC?

I have said it before, Asiwaju is the master. There is no doubt about that. Before we invited him to join the race, we knew his strength; we knew the stuff he is made of.

In the event that consensus arrangement within the opposition PDP eventually throws up a formidable candidate like Atiku, won’t supporters of Asiwaju shudder?

We will defeat him. You know APC never had showing in the Southeast before, now we have showing in Imo and Ebonyi states. We have planned our own strategy. We have our agenda, but we are not going to disclose it for any of them to come and borrow. In terms of antecedents, Asiwaju has the wherewithal to pull back the country from the brinks.  (Sunday Sun)