Bola Asiwaju Tinubu, a presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has revealed that he sacrificed his right to be vice president to Yemi Osinbajo in the 2015 general election.
Tinubu made this disclosure while addressing the APC delegates at the presidential lodge in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State.
According to him, the reason for forgoing the position of the vice president then was to make way for a Muslim/Christian ticket in 2015.
He said, “Since the time we started with the Alliance for Democracy (AD), Action Congress (AC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and now the All Progressives Congress (APC), I wanted to contest for President that time.
“What I am telling you now is between me and God Almighty. Prior to 2015 general elections, Buhari called me to be his Vice President. He said because the first time he contested, he picked Chuba Okadigbo, a flamboyant politician, a Catholic, but Nigerians didn’t vote for him.
“The second time, he picked another Igbo, Umeh Ezeoke, Nigerians didn’t vote for him, that if he goes to bring the Pope to run as his vice, Nigerians won’t vote for him, but you, Bola Tinubu, you have six governors, you have never lost an election before, come and be my vice.
“He knew all the calculations then favoured us, that is why he wanted me as his vice, but I told him to let us build the party first. And when we finished building the party, after we brought in people from the PDP, Saraki now saw those from the PDP will not get anything if Buhari; a Muslim becomes the President and me, also a Muslim becomes his vice, he won’t get the Senate President because the Senate President cannot also be a Muslim, that was how they started the campaign of calumny against me.
“And I told them that I have a candidate that is a Christan that I can nominate, so that the party will not break, that was how I nominated Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. I surrendered my right to to him (Osinbajo).
“I was asked to submit three names, Yemi Cardozo, Wale Edun and Yemi Osinbajo, but I told them if I submit three names, they will believe that I am not consistent and I insisted that I will present one candidate and I presented Yemi Osinbajo’s name.
“It is my time, I’m educated, I’m experienced. I have been serving you for a long time, bring me presidency, it is my turn”.
