President Muhammadu Buhari was the one that directed removal of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo from the APC presidential campaign council, it was revealed.
This was announced by the campaign spokesperson Festus Keyamo on Saturday hours after the PCC was unveiled with Mr Osinbajo visibly missing.
21st CENTURY CHRONICLE reported how Professor Osinbajo, former SGF David Babachir Lawal, former Communications Minister Adebayo Shittu and ex-House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, among other top APC chieftains were omitted from missing from the PCC list released late Friday.
The 422-man list, released by the PCC’s secretary, James Faleke, contained the names of presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the party’s national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, as deputy chairman 1 and 2.
Mr Keyamo in a statement said on Saturday said President Buhari requested that Osinbajo and Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, should not be part of the campaign council so they could focus on governance.
The statement said, “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.
“We will not toe the path of those who governed the country in an irresponsible manner before us and our Party is not in total disarray like those who wish to ‘rescue’ the country, but cannot simply manage their own internal affairs.”
Other big names missing from the list include a former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.
Omission of Mr Shittu was surprising because he heads one of his biggest support groups — Asiwaju Tinubu-Shettima Coalition for Good Governance.
However, it was learned that while the camp of Osinbajo had distanced itself from Tinubu after his emergence as winner of the APC presidential ticket, the duo of Dogara and Babachir had been criticizing Tinubu for picking a fellow Muslim, Senator Kashim Shettima as running mate.
