Former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Bayo Onanuga, says he regrets having asked Bola Ahmed Tinubu to appoint Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as the attorney general of Lagos State, when Tinubu emerged as the Lagos State governor in 1999.
Osinbajo is among other aspirants contesting the All Progressives Congress presidential ticket along side Tinubu, who is the national leader of the party.
Many had thought that the Vice President would not challenge Tinubu for a political position since the former Lagos State governor played a major role to the height he currently enjoy in Nigerian politics.
Apparently not happy that Osinbajo would forget all that Tinubu supposedly did for him, Onanuga, in a statement on Monday, titled ‘Tinubu and Osinbajo: The True Story of How They Met’, regretted to have played a part in introducing Osinbajo to Tinubu.
The former NAN MD, who now serves as the spokesperson of the Tinubu Campaign Organisation, said that at a meeting which happened in the presence of Gbenga Daniel, former Ogun governor, and Dele Alake, former Lagos commissioner for information and strategy, he nominated Osinbajo to be the attorney-general instead of Bayo Oriola.
He wrote, “Tinubu had just won the election as governor of Lagos state and days after, we met on the 6th floor of Kresta Laurel in Maryland, which Otunba Gbenga Daniel donated for our use.
“Dele and Otunba Daniel did not oppose my nomination, surprisingly. Tinubu also appeared eager to meet the ‘wonder lawyer’ that I had just sold to him, to replace a man, who had served as the lawyer to the campaign.
“After the meeting, I went to Osinbajo’s house in Ogudu to invite him to meet the new governor, Bola Tinubu. I remember entering the apartment from the kitchen. The wife was there when I delivered the message and left the house with him later.
“Looking back now, do I regret what I did in January 1999? Yes, I would say I have some regret, especially since my action hurt Bayo Oriola. And my apology to Oriola once again. I could not have foreseen today’s turn of events between Tinubu and Osinbajo, who I nominated to be justice commissioner.”
Recall that Babafemi Ojudu, Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on political matters, had also recently claimed that he nominated Osinbajo to be attorney-general under Tinubu.
