2023: Why I didn’t shun calls to vie for President – Osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said on Monday it would be an injustice if he had rejected the calls by Nigerians to vie for the presidency in 2023 with his vast experience in the last seven years.

Osinbajo stated this when he visited the Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, at the Government House in Akure.

He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for delegating to him serious assignments that had aided his experience.

The Vice President commended Akeredolu for his giant strides in the state.

He said: “It is such a special privilege to be called to serve, it is a very special privilege to serve either as executive, House of Assembly, even as a National Working Committee member.

“I am sure that everybody knows that I have formally declared my intention to run as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“I did so on Monday April 11th, 2022 and I did so because, first of all there is nobody that can bear anything God does not decide that he would be, only God can make a person president, vice president, governor, anything whatsoever.

“So, I believe the hand of God must be on anything we are doing. But I declared my intention based on first, the fact that I have served, again by the sheer grace of God, I have served for seven years and some months.

“President Muhammadu Buhari, just out of his open-mindedness and his own generosity, ensured that I was given very serious responsibilities as vice president and I also acted as president.

” In those capacities, I got to know so many things that most people will never come across, even people in government will never come across and I gained a lot of experience on that account.

“Many times the President, when he was away, said pointedly to me that look, I don’t want to fester your discretion in any way, as acting president, you are the president, just make sure you are fair and just, don’t refer anything to me, don’t ask me any questions, just do whatever you need to do.

“I think It will be a betrayal to our country, to our nation, this is a nation that many people died for, people died for this country, if I with all that have been given to me by the grace of God, retire quietly either to Lagos or Ikenne and go and be writing my memoirs.

“It will be a great injustice to our country, that is why I throw my hat in the ring and ensure I make the best case for the position of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

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