2015 presidency buhari chose osinbajo despite tinubus pressure #comments

A great piece of Nigerian political history!

Yes, you're correct. In 2015, Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), chose Yemi Osinbajo, a professor of law and a senior pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, as his running mate despite intense pressure from Bola Tinubu, a powerful APC chieftain and former governor of Lagos State.

Tinubu, who was a key player in Buhari's presidential campaign, had reportedly wanted to be the vice presidential candidate himself or have his preferred candidate, Kayode Fayemi, a former governor of Ekiti State, as the running mate. However, Buhari, who was determined to build a broad-based ticket, chose Osinbajo, who was seen as a compromise candidate.

Osinbajo's selection was widely seen as a strategic move by Buhari to balance the ticket and appeal to different segments of the electorate. As a Christian and a southerner, Osinbajo helped to offset the perceived Muslim and northern bias of Buhari's candidacy. Additionally, Osinbajo's reputation as a clean and competent politician helped to neutralize concerns about Buhari's perceived authoritarian tendencies.

In the end, the Buhari-Osinbajo ticket won the 2015 presidential election, defeating the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan and his running mate, Namadi Sambo. Osinbajo went on to serve as Vice President of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023, earning a reputation as a capable and effective deputy to President Buhari.