Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress and Director General of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, says there’s no any succession agreement between President Muhammadu Buhari and the party’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Founder and pioneer National Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, Senator Rufai Hanga, had said recently that an “implied agreement” that President Buhari would hand over power to Tinubu in 2023 existed.
CPC was one of the parties which collapsed to form the APC in 2014.
Hanga had stated that it was because of the “implied agreement” that Tinubu stayed put in the APC after Buhari’s first tenure.
Okechukwu, however, told newsmen on Thursday in Abuja that such an “implied agreement” didn’t exist between the President and the APC national leader.
He stated that Buhari rarely enters into an agreement with people.
The VON boss said, “As a member of the defunct CPC, I never heard of such an agreement and most importantly, Mr President will not want to or better put rarely enters into any formal or informal agreement with anybody. But he appreciates good deeds.
“All I know is that Asiwaju automatically could have been the Vice President if not for what lawyers will call force majeure.
“For our leadership warned against Muslim/Muslim ticket.
“Our leadership then argued that the Abiola/Kingibe Muslim/Muslim ticket which worked in 1993 may not work in 2015, if Buhari/Tinubu both Muslims were to run, as the scenario differs. That was how Asiwaju nominated Professor Yemi Osinbajo, GCON as a replacement.”
On APC’s decision to field a consensus presidential candidate for 2023, Okechukwu said, “First, it is refreshing that President Buhari is not for 3rd term agenda.
“Second, in my slightest imagination, one doesn’t think any committee handling such delicate matter will miss out on our National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the matrix.
“Methinks, he will be among the top aspirants to be considered, given his immense contribution to the success of our great party in 2015.”