At an event marking the 6th year coronation of Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi (the Ojaja II), he said in his speech that other Yoruba leaders should support Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2023 presidential aspiration.
He (Ooni) mentioned that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu never got to the position of national hero by accident, but by God’s intention.
As usual, some Yoruba leaders have been warning our revered King not to throw his weight behind any aspirant for the Presidency in 2023.
The question is this, how many aspirants of Yoruba origin have popularity that crosses the borders of their states? The truth is this, currently, Yoruba has three people who might contest for the position of the Nigerian President under the APC, which is the ruling party in 2023.
Number one among them is the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the second person is the current Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, and the third person is the nation’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
Without any iota of doubt, the popularity of the current Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, does not go beyond his state, which is the smallest state in the South-Western part of Nigeria.
In the neighbouring and sister states to Ekiti state, Ondo, Osun, Kogi and Kwara states, Governor Fayemi can’t win either in a primary or general election of any local government in the states, let alone in far away Kano or Zamfara state.
In a free and fair election, Governor Fayemi will be defeated by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinibu if the next president was to be decided by the Ekiti people only.
In the same vein, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo hasn’t come out to contest or show interest against his destiny helper (Asiwaju).
On several occasions, he (Osinbajo) declined his readiness for the race once Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is interested.
It is obvious that only the person in the race for the presidency from the South West is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. If he steps down tomorrow on any ground, it may be for Prof. Osinbajo that would replace him not Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and we all know that Fayemi’s aspiration can’t fly beyond Isan Ekiti, his home town.
As much as I’m not hell-bent that Tinubu must be the only candidate for the office from the South West, it’s obvious that no aspirant is politically serious and has widespread acceptability beyond his state or a region except Tinubu.
The recent caution of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi by some Yoruba leaders is unacceptable.
