Babafemi Ojudu, former Special Adviser on Political Matters to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has revealed how he and other allies convinced President Bola Tinubu to reject an offer to serve as Minister of Finance under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.
Ojudu disclosed this during an appearance on State Affairs, a podcast hosted by Edmund Obilo, on Monday.
He noted that accepting the role would have posed significant political risks for Tinubu, who was then the leader of the Action Congress.
“Tinubu called me one day and said, ‘Congratulations to me.’ I asked, ‘Congratulations for what?’ He then told me that former President Yar’Adua had called him to join his government of unity as Minister of Finance,” Ojudu recounted
According to the journalist, he immediately warned Tinubu about the potential fallout of the decision, citing the fate of Bola Ige, a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, who was assassinated under controversial circumstances.
“I said, ‘You are in Action Congress. Are you not a student of history? Do you not see what happened to Bola Ige? You are digging your political grave if you accept that type of job,’” he stated.
Rauf Aregbesola, a close ally of Tinubu and former Governor of Osun State, reportedly joined the discussion and supported Ojudu’s stance.
He added, “Rauf walked in and said, ‘Femi is right; that is not a job to take.
“One businessman walked in and said, ‘You guys are too radical. This thing will benefit everyone.’ But I insisted, ‘No, we are not looking for this type of benefit. We are looking for his political survival.
“He is our leader. Our dream for him is bigger than him becoming a minister in Yar’Adua’s government. Nine months down the line, they would arrest him, try him, and finish him off — the way they did to Bola Ige.”
Ojudu also addressed allegations of betrayal during the 2023 presidential election, where he backed former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo instead of Tinubu for the All Progressives Congress ticket.
He dismissed the claims, emphasising that their differing visions at the time were not personal.
He said, “We cannot quarrel. It is about our vision taking different routes. I just came from Bayo Onanuga’s daughter’s wedding. People saw me and said, We never knew you would come around.
“I told them, Do you think we are boxing each other? It is not personal. For me, loyalty to friendship is on a lesser scale than sacrifice for the country.”
(PUNCH)