A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Rotimi Fashakin on Sunday said anyone accusing the Vice- President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo of betrayal for coming out to contest the 2023 presidential election should be ignored.
While vouching for Osinbajo’s loyalty and integrity, Fashakin in an interview with DAILY INDEPENDENT, said Osinbajo sought the support and got the blessings of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, his former boss during his tenure as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos before announcing his declaration last week Monday.
Since Osinbajo’s declaration that he will contest the 2023 presidential election on the APC platform, some loyalists of Tinubu have described him as Judas who betrayed Jesus Christ while others called him the ‘modern-day Akintola who betrayed Awolowo’ in reference to the 1962 Action Group crisis which was a result of the struggle for power between two political leaders of the Western Region and Action Group (AG), Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola.
However, Fashakin said such conversation shouldn’t be taking place among serious Nigerians as what should be paramount now is electing a leader with the capacity to make the country better and secure for all.
“That conversation has been going on in certain quarters and I don’t think that is something anybody should countenance or advance. I believe, the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has gone to Asiwaju himself to seek his blessing and support to contest the 2023 presidential election. That for me ends it all”.
“Having done that, he has decided to throw his hat into the ring bearing in mind also that Asiwaju too is contesting on the same platform. In doing so, he has not denied the leadership of Asiwaju and how he gave him the opportunity to serve as his Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice which was very vital for him and the government of Lagos state. He really proved his mettle and it was because of his pedigree that he was identified in the first place”.
“So, anyone describing him as a betrayer should just be ignored. That shouldn’t be a serious conversation that we should be having at this point in time. What we should be concerned about at this point in time is, who has the capacity and ability to transform Nigeria”.
