Exclusive: Calls For Osinbajo To Run Causing Buzz In Presidential Villa

In the last two months, there have been heightened calls on Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to vie for the nation’s topmost office.

Various support groups have emerged and are going around the country to drum backing for the Vice President. Osinbajo has, however, steered clear of reports and statements linking him with the Presidential ambition, but his reluctance to come out to the public to either accept the ambition or denounce it has made the issue become one of the most exciting topics in the Nigerian political space.

With the veracity of Osinbajo’s ambition still unclear to many Nigerians, as he hasn’t officially declared, despite the public support by many groups, a top source in the Presidency has exclusively informed Gatekeepers News of the buzz his ambition is generating in the Villa.

According to the source, the support Osinbajo is getting around the country is causing “some excitement at the Villa.” Recall that some traditional rulers and top politicians in the country have also expressed their backing for the Vice President if he decides to run.

Support groups have also emerged in Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Oyo, Ekiti and Kano States, with rallies also held in Abuja, the seat of the Nigerian government, calling for the Vice President to join the fray.

The Presidency source said, “the calls are a source of buzz, excitement and fascination not only among Nigerians but inside the Villa too,” as Osinbajo is believed to control respect and admiration in the Presidency.

The Presidency source had, however, warned that reports of Osinbajo’s ambition should only be believed when the Vice President comes out openly to declare or state his disinterest in attaining the office.

The top source in the Presidency’s statement was in reaction to the claims of an APC member, Daniel Bwala, in an interview with Channels Television. Bwala had said he understood why the Vice President isn’t vying for the nation’s highest office, as he was backing Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the Presidency. Tinubu is widely believed to be Osinbajo’s political godfather and one of the people that facilitated his choice as the Vice President in 2015.

Bwala said in the interview that “if someone has helped you and indicated interest, your best bet is to go about supporting him with the hope that he doesn’t get it, he will now throw his weight behind you, but you will not challenge him, and I think that since the Vice President is not interested, it is important that he comes out and downplay his supporters and support Asiwaju because if you continue to leave people in limbo, there is going to be a crisis between your supporters and his supporters.”

The Presidency source was, however, swift to deny Bwala’s claims, in a statement that could be subtle support for the Vice President’s yet-to-be-announced ambition, if the mood within the Presidential Villa is anything to go by.

“As has been earlier noted, any information on the activities and actions of the VP will come from his office, not any other source.  It means don’t believe it if it’s not from the office. In due course, any and all concerns will be addressed. For now, VP continues his work supporting Mr President, ” the source said.