The All Progressives Congress (APC) says Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s name was not included in Bola Tinubu’s presidential campaign council.
Ahead of the 2023 general election, the APC on Friday released a list containing 422 names of prominent individuals as department heads and members in Tinubu’s presidential campaign council.
The omission of certain names including that of the Vice President,generated reactions from cynics who attributed the ommission to some form of grievances resulting from the party ‘s presidential primary where Osinbajo,a major beneficiary of Tinubu’s political dynasty challenged his benefactor.
However, the Director, Public Affairs of the Campaign Council, Mr Festus Keyamo clarified, in a statement released on Saturday, that President Muhammadu Buhari specifically requested that Osinbajo and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, should be excluded from the campaign council.
He said the reason for their exclusion was to enable them concentrate on governance since he ( Buhari) I’d also a member of the Council.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to some stories making the rounds that there may be something amiss within the family of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the name of our own revered and respected Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON, is not included in the list of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.
“Nothing can be farther from the facts. For the avoidance of doubt, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, is the Chairman of the Campaign Council. As a result, Mr President has SPECIFICALLY directed that the Vice-President and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha should be left out of the Campaign Council to concentrate on the governance of the country and administration of Government.
“As a responsible Party and Government, all the key functionaries of government cannot abandon their positions for electioneering campaigns. The APC has the mandate of the Nigerian people to administer the country on their behalf at least till May, 29, 2023, and this we intend to do with all sense of responsibility.”
Keyamo said that the APC is not in total disarray like those claiming they want to ‘rescue’ the country, “but cannot simply manage their own internal affairs.”
