Saying Osinbajo is forgiven is an insult, we reject it - VP’s camp tells Tinubu

Less than 24 hours ago, the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Tinubu declared that he had forgiven Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

However, the Osinbajo Support Movement (OSM) said the comment by the APC stalwart was insulting and provocative to them.

The support group made this known Thursday, October 27, via a statement made available to Legit.ng through its national coordinator Liberty Badmus.

As contained in the statement, the support group said they would not be counted among those who had claimed to have pleaded on behalf of the Vice President seeking forgiveness in the sight of Tinubu.

The group says it condemns an earlier publication by the Vanguard newspaper with the narrative that the support group who visited Kano to plead with Tinubu went on behalf of the support group of the Vice President.

The OSM, in its statement, said that the support group mentioned in the publication does not speak for them or others.

The OSM coordinator, Badmus said:

“While the OSM welcomes the need for the APC flagbearer and other presidential aspirants to come together, the group rejects the use of the word “forgiveness” and the implications attached to it.

“We note just like the flagbearer stated that both the VP and himself have met at least twice since after the primaries, any attempt to take a revisionist perspective by insinuating that an offence had been committed because a sitting VP decided to run for the Office of President is an unmitigated insult, completely unnecessary and such narratives ought to be totally discouraged.

“We recall that a meeting of APC Elders in the Southwest ahead of the primaries where the aspirants had resolved the issue concluding that all the aspirants had the right to contest. It is the spirit of that meeting that should be maintained not a derogatory effort which undercuts the solidarity required to take both the flagbearer and the aspirants including the VP forward.”

Similarly, the OSM noted that amid all the attempts to belittle and undermine the pedigree and position of the Vice President, they will not be sandwiched into buying into the self-serving agenda of another camp.

As contained in the statement, the Vice President had advised that his supporters were free to support any candidate of their choice.

The group said: "But no one should however ridicule us and our principal by going to beg for forgiveness."

Badmus also noted that: “Nigeria runs a democratic democracy, and approves anyone within the legal ambit of our laws (constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the APC constitution) to seek to be elected for President and other elective offices as so desired.

“For the umpteenth time, we state that His Excellency, the Vice President has not committed any crime or offended anyone by seeking to serve his country in the capacity of President.”

“We wish to call on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to face his campaign and ignore elements who want to want to benefit from him by regularly invoking Osinbajo. Osinbajo has since moved on and he is vigorously facing the task of nation building for which he was elected Vice President."