A support group for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, operating under the aegis of Movement for Better Nigeria,has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to mobilize support for him to emerge as the All Progressives Congress,APC consensus candidate ahead of 2023 general election.
The political group said the president’s good legacies can only be bequeathed to the younger generation through his vice,who it noted,has not only been loyal to the president but also dedicated in his assignments since 2015.
At a media briefing, Saturday,in Abuja,the group faulted the claims in some quarters that only a Northern candidate can defeat the candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the presidential election.
Açcording to the group which spoke through its Coordinator, Dr Paul Dowells, Osinbajo had all it takes to humble the PDP candidate,hence must be supported to clinch the APC presidential seat to contest in the general election.
Dowells said anything to the contrary could spell doom for the APC as the teeming supporters of the vice president across the country would not accept any process deliberately designed to scheme him out of the race to bring his experience to bear in the nation’s political space.
Noting that Osinbajo had gathered enough experience as Buhari’s vice,he insisted that he has more prospects to deliver more dividends of democracy to Nigerians.
The Movement for Better Nigeria Coordinator, also noted that if things go contrary and Osinbajo fails to clinch the presidency in 2023, they would have no choice than to mobilise Nigerians against the party’s legacies and work on the conscience of the citizens to sway their votes elsewhere.
Hear him:”We also call on President Muhammadu Buhari to name his preferred successor before 2023 intensifies; we, members of Movement For Better Nigeria, MFBN wish to state in clear terms that a tested and trusted man of charisma should be considered.
“We all know that the succession plan of every administration is as important as the administration itself, therefore as a group, poised to see a better Nigeria and ensure the sustainability of the giant strides of President Buhari led administration, we call on Mr President not to yield to pressure from some quarters to choose a candidate who does not have the capacity to lead the nation to it’s desired destination or choose out of sentiments.
“As a group we want Mr President to ensure that which ever way the party chooses to nominate it’s candidate either through consensus or direct primaries; nobody should be allowed to use money and resources to mesmerize the delegates which abet the corruption that his administration is known to fight against. The primaries should be a free, fair and credible.
“The president should consider the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo as his successor following his leadership qualities, loyalty and love to the present administration as exemplified during his temporary stay as the Acting President of Nigeria.
“Vice President Osinbajo within the period constituted the Presidential Task Force on Food Security mandated to reduce prices of food items in the country. He approved the award of N126 billion road projects spread across Kano, Bauchi, Adamawa, Kwara, Gombe, Enugu and Kaduna states. These are few to mention.
“We are confident of the president’s sagacity and sense of judgement because Prof. Osinbajo as Nigeria’s Acting President has gained some good popularity among the Nigerian people and for the APC to sustain it’s power, it must field a credible and refined candidate who will be able to contend with the opposition PDP and ensure that victory is gotten.
“But, then, that can only be achieved if our brothers and sisters from the northern part of the country support him because one good turn deserves another and this is the turn of right choice which is Vice president Osinbajo,” Dowells said in a statement.
A member of the group, Hon Yagana Abba corroborated Dowells’ position, saying Osinbajo has a blueprint to end insecurity currently plaguing Nigeria and only requires a genuine platform to implement those ideas.
Source: Vanguard