Finally, Buhari Formally Unveils Osibajo As His Running Mate

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines Wednesday, December 17th, 2014

From Ganiyu Nasirudeen, Abuja – Finally, the Presidential candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) has formally announced former Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Yemi Osibajo (SAN), as his running mate for next year general elections.

Gen. Buhari unveils Prof. Osibajo as his running mate for 2015 election

Prof. Yemi Osibajo, is a close ally of the APC national leader, and former governor of Lagos state, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

General Buhari made the formal announcement Wednesday evening at the party’s national headquarters, in FCT Abuja.

The opposition party Presidential candidate disclosed that the choice of Osibajo was made after wide consultations within and outside the fold of the party.

In his acceptance speech, Professor Osinbajo stressed he felt very honored to have been chosen by Buhari and the party to represent the party in the coming crucial elections.

He revealed that he and General Buhari have been locked in hours of meeting earlier before the announcement, on how to deliver good democratic governance to Nigeria.

He pledged to work with Buhari and not to disappoint the party leaders and Nigerians.

He also expressed delight on the pedigrees of the APC Presidential candidate, saying even his opponents attested to many of his stunning qualities.

The opposition party finally settled for the former Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice as its vice presidential candidate after days of meeting and lobbying in what sources close to the party described as decision to placate Tinubu who insisted that the VP slot be zoned to the South West.

Tinubu and his loyalists had argued that the vice president’s slot should be zoned to southwest because the defunct All Congress of Nigeria, ACN is rooted in the zone adding that Buhari has taken the slot for CPC, which is thought to be a junior partner in a merger that gave birth to the APC, so the least the ACN bloc as a senior partner in the merger could get is the number two position.

Other candidates considered for the VP slot were Governor Raji Fashola of Lagos state; Former Ekiti governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Governor Rotimi Amaechi of River state and Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state.

The man Osibajo:

Mr Yemi Osinbajo, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), is a professor of law and a former attorney general of Lagos state and commissioner for justice. He educated at the University of Lagos, Nigeria (LLB, 1978) and the London School of Economics (LLM, 1980). He was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1979. He has authored several books on civil procedure in Nigerian superior courts, rules of evidence and justice reform. He is a pastor and the chairman, board of trustees of Redeemer’s University, owned by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, (RCCG).