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“In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.” —Franklin D. Roosevelt
By Daniel Kanu
Of a truth, the political space is at the moment awash with loud conversations around the hide and seek approach of the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, towards his 2023 presidential ambition declaration.
Although there have been a series of speculations that Osinbajo has plans to run for president, he has not outrightly declared his intention despite the ultimatum from several groups urging him to announce what he has in mind.
Again, during the week, Osinbajo denied reports that he has plans to declare his intention to run for president ahead of the 2023 elections after the All Progressives Congress (APC) convention slated for this month, February 26.
On Monday, to be precise, there were reports that the VP would announce his presidential bid for 2023.
However, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, dismissed the report as fake and speculative.
He added that any information on the action of the VP would come directly from his office and not the press.
Recall that in August last year (2021), Osinbajo denied having anything to do with the ongoing campaign across most media platforms in the country, seeking to market his candidacy in the forthcoming presidential race.
The response then from Akande, was that Osinbajo, the learned Professor of Law, is rather focused on working in his capacity as VP, committed to the national assignment, and would not want a distraction.
Of course, the August 23 major denial was the second time bearing in mind that on May 17, the VP team had also unambiguously distanced him from a website: supportosinbajong that was campaigning and mobilising for his supposedly presidential ambition.
No doubt, these consistent denials have continued to elicit assumptions, conjuncture, rumour, gossip, and sometimes unthinkable reactions.
It may not be out of place to allege something fishy about these supposedly unsponsored rallies and Osinbajo’s subsequent denials.
Perhaps, given the penchant for most Nigerian politicians to speak from both sides of their mouth, it is not unlikely that Osinbajo is testing the waters.
While the Osinbajo team may choose to play hide and seek with their principal, it is, however, clear that the spate of denials, to critical observers is mere political games designed to hoodwink the uninformed, the politically unacquainted.
As it is said in common parlance, there is no smoke without fire.
Indeed, if anything, it is understood that the game plan is to take your enemy by surprise.
Some political strategists who spoke with Sunday Sun, say Osinbajo is certainly playing his cards well, and only the undiscerning will be fooled into believing that he means those denials.
Reno Omokri, Media Aide, to former President Goodluck Jonathan, agreed that the VP is strategically packaging himself, despite the denials, but taking the hide and seek route.
The articulate Reputation Manager observed that “Osinbajo is playing what the Yorubas call “boju- boju” (hide and seek). Someone tells you he does not like going to the farm, meanwhile, you see him arranging hoe, and cutlass, and gathering seeds.
“As the Igbo will say…You don’t tell a blind man that market has closed”.
Some analysts contend that Tinubu’s declaration unsettled Osinbajo as it has halted all momentum on the VP’s camp.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Daniel Bwala during the week disclosed, perhaps, with an air of certainty that Osinbajo would not contest for the presidency in 2023.
Bwala explained that it would be injurious for Osinbajo to run for the presidency since Tinubu, APC national leader had signified interest.
Featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, monitored by Sunday Sun, Bwala said: “Yemi Osinbajo is not running for president. He is not interested.
“I think I know the wisdom behind why VP Osinbajo is not running and he is shooting down every attempt to point towards that.
“He may have understood that the general principle of equity and fairness is that one good turn deserves another. He had a principal who supported him for eight years and because Asiwaju Tinubu has indicated interest, morally, not legally, it would be injurious for the Vice President to express interest”.
Irked by what he described as deceit and grandstanding in the continued silence by Osinbajo over his presidential ambition, National Coordinator, Niger Delta Ex-Agitators (NCNDE-A), Eshanekpe Israel, a.k.a Akpodoro, slammed his method, advising Osinbajo to declare immediately, if he is man enough, rather than engaging in subterranean moves.
For Akpodoro “no amount of subterfuge will make Nigerians believe that Osinbajo is not working against the interest of his mentor (Tinubu).
He asked Osinbajo to tread cautiously not to fail the moral test on him, and to banish his presidential ambition, if any, and lead the campaign for Tinubu’s presidency.
But constitutional lawyer and Coordinator, Progressive Lawyers for Osinbajo, Dr Kayode Ajulo has declared that Osinbajo’s declaration to run for president is not negotiable and that the VP would make an official declaration at the appropriate time.
No doubt, Osinbajo is Tinubu’s protégé, but will he chicken out?
It is a question in the womb of time and only Osinbajo will answer it.
Prof Yemi Osinbajo was born in Lagos State to the Opeoluwa Osinbajo family, on March 8, 1957.
On completion of his secondary school, he got admission into the University of Lagos where he studied Law, obtained his LL.B., and was called to the bar in 1979.
On completion of his academic pursuit, Osinbajo engaged in law practice, a profession he practiced so well that he was later elevated to the position of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN).
In 1999, Osinbajo was appointed the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State, during the regime of Bola Tinubu as the governor of the state.
With the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket having won the presidential election, Osinbajo became the Vice President.
He is serving a second tenure.
