Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has assured the Progressive Consolidation Group, PCG, that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is a sellable presidential aspirant if he chooses to contest the Presidential elections in 2023.
He stated this when members of the political group paid him a courtesy visit in Lafia on Monday.
Mr Sule thanked the group for the visit and for intimating him of their advocacy for the presidential candidature of Osinbajo and their desire for him to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 in order to consolidate on the achievements of the present administration.
He then assured them that they had nothing to worry about if the vice president chose to contest the 2023 presidential elections, saying Osinbajo was a sellable candidate for the party whose antecedents as an astute politician speaks volumes.
The governor said that President Buhari has been the strongest pillar in the APC since its formation and the concern of progressive governors of the party was how to move the party forward after Buhari’s tenure as president.
“Our concern is how we will sustain the party beyond President Buhari. So, if you come up with idea, you know you will not only get my attention but the attention of every progressive governor in the country.
“So, if you are going about to sell this man, I want you to know that not every product is sellable but Osinbajo is sellable.
“I pray that all the work you are doing now will not be in vain. It will be good for our party and the progress of this country,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Dr Aliyu Kurfi, Chairman of the PCG said that though they came on their own without the consent of the VP, yet they were convinced to start the advocacy for Osinbajo to succeed Buhari given his impressive vision for the country.
“We are here sir on a very serious business, the serious business of political succession. We are on our own mission but engineered by the vision of one of our elder statesmen, Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
“We have gone through the various records of activities, life histories and of course the trends of events in politics and we have agreed as an association to work towards the promotion of his candidature.
“We made this decision because we believe with all honesty that we have a professional gentleman, if given the opportunity will not only continue the good work of Mr President, but with gentlemen like you to support, make Nigeria a better place for all of us,” he said.
He said the vice president if given the mandate to rule Nigeria would ensure among other things that the rule of law was entrenched across the country due to his background in the law profession.
“His foresight in so many areas will be useful for Nigeria. He is detribalised and a man who is detached from the shallow thinking of many of us who are tribal bigots.
“We believe we have a gentleman whose thinking is simply that of Nigeria and Nigeria alone.
“We believe he is a gentleman whose political competence knows no bounds. So we have every reason to sell him for the benefit of Nigeria,” he said.
It was earlier reported that, a former governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido, has berated Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for allegedly bringing up talks about cracks and division of Nigeria.
ThisDay reported that Lamido also criticised the governor of Borno state, Babagana Zulum, elder statesmen including Chief Edwin Clark, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, General Theophilus Danjuma (retd) and others for making similar comments on Nigeria’s division. It was gathers that Lamido stated this in his message to mark Nigeria’s 60th Independence Anniversary.
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The former governor made a passionate case for Nigeria’s unity, saying the country should not break up irrespective of its diversities.
He said Nigerian leaders must note that Nigeria has been there for them for years, and it is their duty to give back to the country by ensuring new generations also actualise their dreams under a united nation.
Earlier reports indicated that Vice President Osinbajo raised concerns that there are cracks in the Nigerian polity that can bring about a breakup of the country unless something drastic was done immediately.
Osinbajo, represented by Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), made the statement on Sunday, September 27, in Abuja during the 60th Independence Anniversary interdenominational church service at National Ecumenical Centre. However, the SGF said his comment made on behalf of Osinbajo that Nigeria may break up was misunderstood.
In a similar development, the presidency has cautioned Nigerians who have been saying President Buhari needs to do one thing or another to prevent the break up of the nation.
Garba Shehu, one of the spokespersons to the president in a statement on Sunday, October 4, described such comments as unpatriotic outbursts.
He said the Buhari administration would not succumb to threats and take any decision out of pressure at a time the nation is dealing with security challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic. Sowore, Adeyanju, others protest amid Independence Day celebration.
