Osita Okechukwu Denies Claim that Tinubu Outwitted Buhari for APC Ticket
Osita Okechukwu, a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), has dismissed claims made by Babafemi Ojudu, a former presidential Special Adviser on Political Matters, that President Bola Tinubu outsmarted former President Muhammadu Buhari to secure the APC presidential ticket in 2022.
Ojudu had suggested that Buhari never supported his Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, or Tinubu during the APC presidential primary election. However, Okechukwu, in a statement on Thursday, countered Ojudu’s assertions, calling them “less than factual” and labeling them as misinformation.
The former VON DG clarified that while there was indeed a split in opinions regarding whom to support between Tinubu and other candidates, Buhari’s position was aligned with Malam Adamu Adamu, the then Minister of Education. Buhari, according to Okechukwu, quoted the Holy Quran, asserting that he could not abandon the man who had stood by him through difficult times. Instead, he decided that the delegates at Eagle Square should choose the candidate they preferred.
Okechukwu further explained that there was division within Buhari’s kitchen cabinet after the screening committee, headed by former APC chairman John Oyegun, submitted its report. The debate was about whether to disqualify any of the 23 presidential aspirants, including Tinubu, based on various allegations.
He added, “The only truth in Ojudu’s statement is that Buhari didn’t mobilize for any of the 23 aspirants, not even for Senator Ahmed Lawan.” He continued by pointing out that if Buhari had supported Lawan, he would have communicated this directly to the APC Governors Forum, who repeatedly pressed him to disclose his preference. Instead, it was APC National Chairman Senator Abdullahi Adamu who conveyed any decisions to the National Working Committee.
Okechukwu’s remarks sought to set the record straight, emphasizing that Buhari’s non-interference in the primaries was the central truth behind the 2022 APC ticket race.
