Buhari’s Body Language Leaves Tinubu, Osinbajo, Amaechi Confused

President Muhammadu Buhari’s body language as to his preferred candidate for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has unsettled aspirants including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, among others.

It was gathered that the inability of the aspirants to properly deduce the direction of the president delayed the declaration of some of the aspirants including Osinbajo and Amaechi.   While Osinbajo declared on Monday, Amaechi did same at the weekend.

Starting with Tinubu, the presidential aspirants of the ruling party had sought for the blessings of the president before declaring for the race.

The lack of clarity on Buhari’s body language, Daily Trust reports, is fuelling agitation among the aspirants and their supporters as the deadline for the conduct of the political parties’ primaries approaches.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had issued a deadline of June 3, 2022, for political parties to conduct their primaries.

So far, eight aspirants in the ruling party have indicated interest in the president’s seat. They include; Tinubu, Osinbajo, Amaechi, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, business tycoon Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha as well as  Ihechukwu Dallas Chima (IDC).

Impeccable sources around the presidency told this paper that Buhari’s body language has left them confused because he did not object to the plans by all the aspirants to vie for the presidency but that he was keeping close to his chest his preference among the contenders.

The president had on January 5, this year during an exclusive interview with Channels TV, said he does not care who succeeds him.

His words: “2023 is not my problem, I don’t care who succeeds me, let the person come, whoever the person is.” He also declined to mention his favourite, saying if the person is named, he would be eliminated.

One of the sources said the president’s action was causing ripples among the aspirants, their supporters and critical stakeholders of the ruling party.

The source, a founding member of the APC, said, unlike the party positions, the presidential candidate of the party cannot be singlehandedly handpicked by the president.

“What I can tell you is that the scenario that brought Abdullahi Adamu, where the president handpicked him cannot be repeated now. The primaries must be conducted for the party to emerge victoriously in 2023.

“Mr President is being mindful of this fact, hence is being careful. In the build up to the 2015 general elections, even when key stakeholders knew that the party ticket was for him (Buhari), we still conducted primaries in Lagos, where he defeated Atiku, Kwankwaso, Bukola (Saraki), Okorocha and others,” the source said.

However, another source said the president seems not to be conformable with the candidatures of Osinbajo and Tinubu.

“This is my reading of him but let me tell you, the odds favour Asiwaju, power is not given, it is taken. He will pick the ticket,” the source said.

President in a tight corner

Sources said despite Buhari’s open declaration that he does not care who succeeds him and his body language, the president seems to be in a tight corner.

One of them said those who supported him when he needed it most and their supporters think this is the payback time.

While those with Tinubu are saying the president owed them in view of the role played by the former Lagos governor in the victories of Buhari in 2015 and 2019, those in the camp of the vice president believed that his emergence as the running mate did the magic in the 2015 polls.

Recall that Buhari had contested thrice before emerging victory in 2015.

The vice president’s supporters are also saying that as the number two person in the administration, he should be given the right of first refusal for continuity of the relative success of the APC administration.

On their part, those in the camp of Amaechi, the former governor of Rivers State are saying that their candidate should be considered in view of the role he played as the director-general of the Buhari’s campaign organisation.

Source: Daily Trust

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