President Muhammadu Buhari has indicated that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was never preferred by the governors and leaders of the All Progressives Congress to emerge as the presidential candidate of the party for the 2023 general elections.
This seemed clear from what Buhari told the Emir of Katsina, Dr. Abdulmumin Usman Kabir whom he paid a Sallah visit to on Saturday.
Buhari said he refused to anoint a candidate because he had done so Osinbajo would have been affected.
Speaking in Hausa,
Buhari said, “I was given a list of 30 aspirants to pick from. Most of them were my ministers and governors. So, who will I choose or support?
“One of the governors even came to see me and asked who are we to choose.
“If I do that, it would affect my Vice President because he was listening to our conversation. I then told them to choose who they want.
“So, they elected Tinubu as APC presidential candidate.”
He added, “I hope the forthcoming (2023) general elections would also be peaceful just like the way APC conducted its congress where they elected the party’s National Chairman, the presidential candidate and how the presidential candidate picked his running mate.
“I hope God will help us to conduct the general elections peacefully.”
He, however, appealed to Nigerians to allow peace to reign during the 2023 general elections”.