Babafemi Ojudu, former presidential Special Adviser on Political Matters, has disclosed a key political strategy by President Bola Tinubu, claiming that he outsmarted his predecessor, ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, in the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary.
Speaking on Edmund Obilo’s State Affairs podcast on Monday evening, Ojudu explained that Buhari had shown little support for his then Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, and Tinubu in the lead-up to the primary election.
Despite this lack of backing, Ojudu emphasized that Tinubu’s strategic maneuvering played a key role in securing the APC ticket and ultimately winning the presidency.
Ojudu’s comments shed light on the complex dynamics within the APC during the election season, highlighting how Tinubu’s political acumen enabled him to surpass expectations and clinch the top party spot.
Ojudu said: “I knew Osinbajo was going to lose the primary, I saw it coming.
“Because of the system we operated and still operating, I kept saying at our meeting that all of the efforts we are making like traveling around, convincing people, and addressing delegates is only 40 percent.
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“60 percent of it lies in Buhari’s hands unless and until Buhari mobilizes people around him, the governors, his aides, we are going nowhere.
“I used to refer to Buhari as a one-man majority and he never mobilized his team towards Osinbajo and I think Tinubu outsmarted him in so many different ways.”
Ahead of the 2023 presidential elections, rumors circulated that ex-President Muhammadu Buhari favored the then Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, over Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Bola Tinubu.
However, the outcome of the APC presidential primary painted a different picture. Tinubu emerged victorious with 1,271 votes, followed by former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi with 316 votes.
Osinbajo secured 235 votes, while Lawan trailed behind with just 152 votes.
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