The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and presidential aspirant, Chief Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, said that his time has come to administer Nigeria.
Tinubu who is a presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), equally broke silence on his relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari; Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and Governor Dapo Abiodun.
The two-term former governor of Lagos State disclosed how he ensured the victory of Buhari at the polls in the 2015 and 2019 general elections; as well as the emergence of Osinbajo and Abiodun as Vice President and Governor respectively.
He submitted that his time is now to rule Nigeria, having worked for so many people in achieving their political aspirations.
Tinubu said, “It is my time, I’m educated, I’m experienced. I have been serving you for a long time, give me the chance, it is my turn.”
Tinubu explained that he would have emerged as the Vice President of Buhari in 2015 if not for the Muslim -Muslim ticket issue.
He said, “This is me telling you between my life and God Almighty, Buhari called me to be his Vice President. He said because the first time he contested, he picked Okadigbo, flamboyant, catholic, but Nigerians didn’t vote for him.
“The second time, he picked another Igbo, Omesioke, 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.”
Tinubu explained how he came about picking Osinbajo as Buhari’s running mate in the election, being a Christian.
“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, 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 and the Senate President cannot also be a Muslim, that was how they started the campaign of calumny against me.
“And 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 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 might be smarter than me and put another name, and so I zeroed in on Osinbajo,” he added.
He also explained his effort when the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, was “been flogged out” of PDP by former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
The presidential aspirant said, “It is my time. I’m educated, I’m experienced. I have been serving you for a long time, give me the opportunity. It is my turn.
“When Atiku was being flogged out of PDP by Obasanjo, he ran to me for help, I left the ticket for him. Nuhu Ribadu came to me and I backed him.
“It has been over 25 years now that I have been serving them. This one sitting behind me, Dapo, can he say he can be the Governor without me? We were together at the MKO Abiola Stadium, he was intimated, that they didn’t want to give the party’s flag, I was the one that handed the flag to him. He knows that he cannot be the governor without the help of God and my support.
“If not for me that stood behind Buhari he wouldn’t have become the president. He tried the first time, he failed, the second time, he failed, the third time, he failed, he even wept on national television and vowed never to contest again but I went to meet him in Kaduna and told him he will run again, I will stand by you and you will win, but you must not joke with Yorubas and he agreed.
“Since he became the president, I have never got ministerial slots. I didn’t collect any contract, I have never begged for anything from him, it is the turn of Yoruba, it is my turn.”
He appealed to Ogun State delegates to vote for him at the primaries, despite the fact that Osinbajo is from the state.
