… Ambode Picks Lagos SSG
After days of meeting, calculating and strategising, the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday finally settled for Professor Yemi Osibajo, a Senior Pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, a notable academic and major strategist for the national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu, as the running mate of Muhammadu Buhari, its presidential candidate for the 2015 general elections.
There had been intense suspense across the nation over the choice of Buhari’s running mate, names like Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Osibajo and even Tinubu constantly popping up.
While others were said to be soft about their interest for the slot, Tinubu had pushed for himself, but a leader of the party told Huhuonline.com that he was rejected by Buhari who was particular about the religious implication on the sensitivity of Nigerians.
At this point, he was said to have pushed for Osibajo, who, though a political lightweight, has advantage in the population of his church.
“We felt that since President Goodluck Jonathan has pegged his strategies mainly on religion, it would be best to put forward one of the most respected cleric, an orator and strategist. And especially being that he heads a church where Jonathan takes a chunk of the worshippers,” the party leader explained.
Osibajo, 55, was Attorney-General of Lagos while Tinubu was governor of Lagos and one of his kitchen cabinet members since then.
He is a professor of Law at the University of Lagos and was head of Law Department until he joined Tinubu’s government, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and Senior Partner in the Law firm of SimmonsCooper Partners.
He is currently the Ethics Adviser to the Advisory Board of the African Development Bank and is a non-Executive Director of Citibank.
Meanwhile, Huhuonline.com can report that the candidate of the APC for the governorship election in Lagos for 2015, Akinwunmi Ambode, has settled for the current Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule, as his running mate.
Adebule was finally picked after a favoured nominee of the party and Islamic cleric, Abdullateef Abdulhakeem, was dropped following protests against him by the Lagos Islamic community, who said they could not vouch for his honesty and integrity.
Adebule, though not a cleric, is believed to be very close to the Muslim community in the state. She was a former lecturer before her appointment as the state SSG by Governor Babatunde Fashola.
The two announcements would be made later on Wednesday.
