The
vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has been very quiet lately. Ever since
his dismal showing at the recently held APC Convention where he lost out to Asiwaju
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, very little has been heard from him. The only time he made
anything near a major public statement was when he posted on his social media
handle that he had just undergone successful knee surgery. He was even
‘gracious’ enough to disclose to Nigerians the name of the Lagos-based hospital
where the surgical operation took place. Outside of this, nothing else in terms
of a meaningful political statement or a show of public support for Tinubu has
been heard from him or his media aides.
Unlike
many of the disciples and loyalists of the APC standard bearer, Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu, who have, in various ways shown and expressed their unwavering support
for their leader and mentor, the vice president has been unusually silent. He
has not come out to throw his weight behind his benefactor. And those who
should know say that the silence has gone on for too long and that it could
mean only one thing – the VP is still sulking after his defeat at the APC
primary.
The
possibility of this became more evident when the vice president’s absence at
the Ekiti and Osun campaign rallies a few days before their governorship elections
became conspicuous. Every notable member of the APC, especially those belonging
to the Asiwaju inner circle, including Asiwaju himself, was there. But PYO was
noticeably absent. This got people wondering, what could be the problem? Is the
vice president no longer with the party or he is just not interested in
aligning himself with Asiwaju anymore? Or, could it be he is looking to pitch
his political tent elsewhere as was speculated not long ago that he was being
wooed to join the Kwankwaso camp? So many questions begging for answers. City
People can offer the answer to the puzzle.
According
to an inside source close to the Asiwaju inner caucus, they are not surprised
the vice president has found it extremely hard to reintegrate himself back into
the Asiwaju inner circle. The source, a top politician who controls a large
chunk of followers within Ogun State APC, told City People, “You don’t take the
sort of political plunge the vice president took and not expect the doors would
be shut against you in the end. Going head-to-head against Asiwaju for the APC
presidential ticket was politically suicidal. Politically, I can guarantee you
the man has hit a brick wall. I am only stopping short of saying he has been
politically obliterated by that singular but costly action. Unfortunately for
him, he chose the wrong person to stab in the back. It will never be easy for
him to walk straight back into the fold afterwards,” our source insisted. But,
why, we asked? Didn’t he and Asiwaju make up and buried the hatchet, if there
was ever one when Asiwaju visited him alongside others who contested against
him shortly after the convention was concluded? The top Ogun State politician
shook his head.
“It
is a lot more serious than that, it’s not something a one-off visit from
Asiwaju will settle,” he explained. “Let me ask you if it was that simple, has
anyone spotted the vice president with Asiwaju together anywhere ever since? It
can’t be that simple. And don’t forget that a lot happened before the primary
election took place. Party leaders, including elders of the party like Baba
Akande and Osoba all, met together with Osinbajo and persuaded him to step down
for Asiwaju but he bluntly declined. He told them it was his constitutional
right to aspire to become the next president of the federal republic of Nigeria
and that it would be unfair for anyone to try and stop him. He was so sure he
was going to win the primary election and emerge the party’s presidential
flagbearer. He was confident the president indeed had an anointed candidate in
mind and that he was that anointed candidate. He was ready to slaughter all of
his long years of relationship with Asiwaju and dismiss all he has benefitted
from that relationship for his own personal ambition. He knew exactly what he
was walking into. He knew the consequences of his actions. What people do not
realize is that, when he decided to do what he did, betraying Asiwaju in that
manner, it wasn’t Asiwaju alone that he betrayed, he betrayed every one of us,
the followers of Asiwaju.”
“He
was close to some of us the followers. Many of us reached out to him
individually. Some of the governors reached out to him. But he told us his mind
was made up. At some point, he was no longer picking up our calls. He would direct
his aides to speak to us and tell us he was busy. From the very moment he
declared to run for the presidency, he turned his back against not just Asiwaju
but all of us. That’s why, when he attended that reconciliation meeting that
took place a couple of weeks before the primary was held, he was clearly no
longer comfortable being in the midst of the same people with whom he started
his political journey many years back. He could no longer slap hands with them
and throw banters like they used to do together because he knew he had crossed
the line. He knew he had done something horrendous and there was simply no way
he would come back into the fold and get a pat on the back for his cruel
action. And if you know Asiwaju very well, people will tell you he forgives
very easily. Perhaps too easily. But what about his followers, will they
forgive Osinbajo that easily too? I doubt it very much. “
The
top politician who himself obviously has not forgiven the vice president concluded, “Let us be honest with ourselves, what the man did was unpardonable.
Asiwaju made him whatever he has become in life today. Every political
achievement he has to his name was served to him on a platter of gold by
Asiwaju. The office of the vice president which he currently occupies was meant
for Asiwaju, but because of political calculations, the man offered him the
office even when he had clearly not worked for it. And you now turn around to look
at the same man in the eye and tell him you will stop him from becoming president,
who does that? Take it or leave it, that is a betrayal of the highest order, and
it will take him a long time before all of his sins can be washed away within
the inner circle of the Asiwaju Political Empire.”
True
to his words, it is indeed looking like it will take PYO quite some time to get
back into the Asiwaju camp and earn their trust again. Nobody knows what his
next move will be. He has not said anything yet about quitting the party and
neither has he shown any visible commitment to Bola Tinubu’s presidential
project. On whose side will the vice president be as the countdown to the
presidential campaign begins? Will he come out openly to throw his weight
behind Asiwaju or will he prefer to pitch his tent with another candidate from
another party? And if he chooses to stick with the APC, how tough or easy will
it be for him to rejoin the Asiwaju camp again? We are waiting, we are watching
with our fingers crossed….
-
WALE LAWAL
0 Comments