Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday officially joined the race for the presidency as he declared his intention to contest in the 2023 general elections.
Osinbajo, in a short broadcast on his Twitter handle, on Monday morning, said, “I believe that the very reason that the Almighty God gave me these experiences, these insights and these opportunities is that they must be put to the use of our great country and its great peoples.
“Which is why today, with the utmost humility, I’m formally declaring my intention to run for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the platform of our great party, the All Progressives Congress.”
The Vice President finally broke his silence on the 2023 Presidency and braved the odds after months of intense speculations.
On Sunday night, Osinbajo had at a dinner he hosted at the Presidential Villa for the breaking of the Ramadan fast (Iftar), informed the APC governors of his plan to take over from President Muhammadu Buhari.
Buhari’s tenure ends in 13 months’ time.
Sixty-five-year-old Osinbajo is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a former lecturer at the University of Lagos. He is also a senior pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
He began his public office career in 1988 as an Adviser (legal advice and litigation) to the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Bola Ajibola, a position he held for four years.
Osinbajo was appointed Attorney-General of Lagos State in 1999 by then Governor, Bola Tinubu, and held the position till 2007, implementing several judicial reforms.
He was nominated as Buhari’s running mate in 2014 and was elected alongside Buhari in 2015. During his seven-year tenure as Vice-President, Osinbajo served as acting President for more than 120 non-consecutive days while his principal was on medical leave in London between 2016 and 2018
The Vice President will be contesting the APC Presidential primary against Tinubu, his former boss; the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi; and Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.
Others in the APC who are rumoured to be nursing Presidential ambitions include: Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Kayode Fayemi; the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige. The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, is also considered a contender.
