A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has dismissed claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu outmaneuvered former President Muhammadu Buhari to secure the APC presidential ticket.
The allegations were initially raised by Babafemi Ojudu, a former Special Adviser on Political Matters to the presidency. Ojudu had suggested that during the 2022 APC presidential primaries, Buhari did not support either his then-Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, or Tinubu, leading to an implication that Tinubu emerged victorious by outsmarting other contenders, including Buhari’s favored candidate.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Okechukwu labeled Ojudu’s assertions as “less than factual” and “misinformation.” He clarified that while there was indeed a division within Buhari’s inner circle regarding whom to support, Buhari ultimately chose a neutral stance, allowing party delegates at the Eagle Square convention to decide the outcome.
“Yes, there was a split opinion on whether to support Tinubu or not, and Buhari sided with the camp led by then-Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu. He quoted the Holy Quran, emphasizing that he could not abandon the man who stood by him through thick and thin. However, he maintained that the delegates should elect whoever they deemed fit,” Okechukwu explained.
The former VON chief noted that disagreements arose within Buhari’s kitchen cabinet following the submission of the screening committee report, which was chaired by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun. The debates centered on whether certain presidential aspirants, including Tinubu, should be disqualified due to various allegations.
“The only truth in Ojudu’s statement is that Buhari didn’t mobilize for any of the 23 aspirants—not even Senator Ahmed Lawan. If Buhari had supported Lawan, he would have communicated this to the APC Governors Forum, who repeatedly urged him to reveal his preferred candidate. Such a critical directive would not have been left to the then-National Chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, alone to convey to the National Working Committee,” Okechukwu asserted.
He concluded by reiterating that Buhari’s neutrality during the primaries underscored his commitment to a democratic process, which allowed the delegates to independently choose Tinubu as the APC flagbearer.
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