2023 ELECTIONS: IS THE OSINBAJO/ZULUM TICKET A DREAM THAT WILL COME TRUE OR A FAR-FETCHED FANTASY?

By Matthew Eloyi

As the 2023 presidential election draws closer, there has been a general concession that the combination of the current Vice President of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo and the Executive Governor of Borno State, Prof Babagana Zulum as President and Vice President respectively will be the best for Nigerians, with many describing it as a truly citizen-centric arrangement.

However, even as Osinbajo has declared his intention to run for the number one seat in 2023 under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), there are questions surrounding the prospects of the duo (Osinbajo and Zulum) as a national leadership pair and the possibility that they would get the party’s ticket. This is more so as it is glaring that choosing between the National Leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to lead the party in the 2023 presidential election will be a difficult decision for the party’s leadership. Of course, one does not need a prophet to figure out that the two are the APC’s first eleven candidates in the presidential election, based on political strength and integrity tests that both can pass respectively.

Even though the APC has remained silent on the question of zoning, there are signs that the party has decided to hand over the presidency to the South, considering the fact that its National Chairman has emerged from the North. Despite the fact that it is not guaranteed in the APC or any Nigerian political party’s constitution, it has always been the case that the President and the National Chairman of his political party should not come from the same region of the country; north or south. Regardless, a number of hopefuls from both South and North have expressed an interest in running for the party’s presidential ticket. They include Osinbajo, Tinubu, the Senate Chief Whip, Orji Kalu, former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha; former Governor of Zamfara State, Ahmed Sani Yerima; Governor Fayemi Kayode of Ekiti State; Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State; Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State; Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi amongst others. However, among all the aspirants within the APC, Tinubu and Osinbajo appear to be the ones creating the greatest consternation.

Also, prominent members of Nigeria’s largest opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), have made no secret of their desire to run for the highest elective office, each attempting to persuade the party why he is the best candidate for the job. Top of the list is Nigeria’s former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who clinched the PDP Presidential ticket but lost to President Muhammadu Buhari of the ruling APC in the 2019 general election. According to reports, Atiku has again won the support of some members of the party who are going round the ticket to selling “the Atiku for President 2023” mantra to Nigerians.

A former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim has also declared his intention to contest for the number one office. Others are Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State; Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State; Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State; Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State; a former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki; the CEO/Publisher of Ovation International, Chief Dele Momodu; and the former president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Sam Ohambunwa.

On the glamour for the Osinbajo/Zulum ticket, it is pertinent for us to examine their potentials, achievements, mantras, policies and the direction they take leadership to. For Osinbajo, what more would you expect from a professor of law with a list of scholarship awards, academic laurels, and oratorical honours dating back to 1971 when he was in secondary school? Osinbajo became a professor of law at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) at the age of 40 in 1997, two years before becoming the first Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos State in the Fourth Republic.

As Vice President, providence and presidential illness pushed Osinbajo to step up as substantive president, in acting capacity, on a few occasions during the Buhari-Osinbajo administration’s first tenure. Some people admired his quick moves and “body language” during those few moments, while others were concerned. One of his constitutional responsibilities as Vice President, with any kind of executive power, is to oversee the National Economic Council (NEC) and advise the president on effective proposals for steering the country into prosperity, and he has, to some extent, met the expectations of many Nigerians in that regard. However, despite his glowing attributes and compelling characteristics, which were especially evident during the brief moments when he was allowed to actually act for his principal during a few of the many absences, it is believed that Osinbajo would have a difficult time convincing some set of Nigerians that he is the “Messiah” they have been waiting for.

For Zulum, his name is well-known across the Borno and Nigerian landscapes. Many Nigerians have never met him, but his record of accomplishments centred on people-oriented programmes has made him a household figure in the country, attracting unending plaudits. Zulum arrived at a time when the morale and psyche of the people of Borno State had been thrashed by malicious elements who had continued to divert the polity’s attention, steal, and destroy whatever was of good report and worth to the citizens. The governor has had a tremendous impact in the areas of security, education, health, agriculture, and infrastructure in order to alleviate the suffering of those who have been subjected to incessant terrorist attacks in the state. Governor Zulum has proven to be a true leader via his hard work, devotion, and dedication to his people, and there is no doubt that that he will make a good vice president with Osinbajo as president. However, it is not yet certain that the Osinbajo/Zulum ticket dream will come true until the primary election is conducted.