The Osinbajo Support Movement (OSM) has tackled the All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, for declaring that he has forgiven Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.
The Osinbajo support group described Tinubu’s comment as not only insulting but also completely unnecessary.
While addressing a Kano group that backed Osinbajo’s presidential aspiration in the buildup to the May presidential primaries of the APC, had said he bore no grudges against the vice president.
Tinubu’s word: “I have nothing against him. I have been to his house after the primaries. I saw him on the day of the goodwill message [at] the retreat organised by the president. And a man who forgives, a man who asks for forgiveness from Allah fully deserves forgiveness. If you cannot give forgiveness, how are you asking from Allah? To me, it is over.”
However, responding to Tinubu’s comment, OSM in a statement said while there is still room for political realignment, any talk of forgiveness between Osinbajo and Tinubu is both an insult and a provocation.
The statement signed by the group’s National Coordinator, Liberty Badmus, also rebuffed any attempt to insinuate that the Vice President had committed any offence for daring to run for the Office of the President.
The group also insisted that every group or individual in the Osinbajo’s camp is at liberty to support any candidate of their choice and won’t be forced and classified “into this agenda”.
The statement read: “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.
“Everyone who supported the Vice President has the right to support whoever they wish after the primary, and Vice President Osinbajo has made it clear that people are free to support the party’s candidate but no one should however ridicule us and our principal by going to beg for forgiveness, 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.”