Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said his ability to steer the affairs of the country, while his principal, Muhammadu Buhari was incapacitated stands him out as a better candidate to occupy the seat of power in 2023.
Osinbajo, a professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, also said electing him President would save the country the stress of having to learn the robes of governance all afresh.
The VP, who is one of over 10 people seeking to be the presidential candidate of the ruling party, All Progressive Congress, gave insight into how he emerged as Vice President.
As if setting the records straight regarding the purported influence the former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu had on his emergence, Osinbajo said news of his nomination as running mate to then-candidate Muhammadu Buhari in the build-up to the 2015 presidential election came to him as a surprise.
The number two citizen who played host to State House Press Corps at the Presidential Villa Abuja, disclosed that he was handling a case of a defection of a federal lawmaker at the Supreme Court when the former governor of Osun State and now Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola called him to inform him of his nomination for the plum job.
His words, “I was working on the case at Peniel Apartments in Abuja on December 18, 2014, when at about 1 a.m. in the morning, I received a call from Rauf Aregbesola that they were coming to Lagos to pick me.
“I said I was in Abuja. He said ‘good because you have been nominated as the vice-presidential candidate’ and I said is that how you nominate people,” Mr Osinbajo said.
The VP stated that after representing his client that day, he returned to his accommodation and spoke to himself in low tunes after he removed his wig, “this is probably the last time I will be wearing it.”
He revealed that Aregbesola, who is the current interior minister, and former Ogun State and Governor Ibikunle Amosun, later in the day took him to the presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.
Mr Osinbajo said he was telling his story to the journalists to let them know that an individual’s life can change at any minute.
Speaking on why he wants to rule Nigeria as President, he said he has always believed and stood for a better Nigeria all his life, stressing that his decision to run for the office of President in 2023 was to enable him to fulfil that dream of making a difference.
“Very few people have the kind of training and experience that I have been exposed to, prior to my declaration to run for president, I have met with various groups including governors, delegates and party leaders,” he said.
He, however, said the Iftar with the journalists is the first one he is holding with a group that will not vote at the party primaries.
