Igbokwe: Tinubu Has Deep structures And Also Has A History

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in Abuja. Photos: Vice-President’s office

A chieftain of All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, Joe Igbokwe, says former Lagos governor and APC presidential hopeful, Bola Tinubu, has political structures that can win a presidential election.

According to Igbokwe, who is an aide to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, every eligible Nigerian including Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) has the constitutional right to vote and aspire for any office in the land.

Igbokwe, a staunch supporter of Tinubu, stated this in a chat with The PUNCH on Monday, shortly after Osinbajo declared to run for president in 2023, ending years of conjecture about his political future.

The APC chieftain said, “If you want to win an election in Nigeria, you have to have structures, deep structures across the country that you have built for over 20 years. That is what you need to win the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Tinubu has a structure, just like (MKO) Abiola did in 1993; Abiola had a history before 1993. Asiwaju (Tinubu) also has a history but let’s wait and see.

“The structures on ground will be the determining factor. We want Asiwaju.”

Earlier on Monday, Osinbajo, Nigeria’s Vice-President since May 2015, said that he would want to succeed his principal, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), and complete all that the APC government started seven years ago.

Osinbajo, 65; and Tinubu, 70, have a history as political associates. Tinubu, as Lagos governor, had in 1999 appointed Osinbajo as Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the state, a position the law professor held till 2007.

Osinbajo, a senior pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, was reportedly nominated by Tinubu to be Buhari’s running mate in 2015 to avoid a Muslim-Muslim ticket.