A few weeks back, presidential aspirant Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu disclosed what he told President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2023 elections. The APC’s national chieftain revealed that he told the president that he wanted to replace him but didn’t want to offend him.
The reality is that Buhari has every right to support anybody he likes. Buhari’s support of someone does not imply that Tinubu should align. This also does not preclude Tinubu from running again; let him bring his people, and Buhari will bring his supporters, and we will see who wins. The APC will benefit as a result. And while Buhari does not have to officially endorse anybody, if he does, everyone in the party would know.
Many Nigerians, on the other hand, believe that waiting for PMB to formally endorse a candidate will literally take an eternity. Buhari will never publicly support someone who opposes Tinubu. If he does, it indicates that he has no good intentions for the APC.
To believe that Jagaban will just accept Buhari’s endorsement is to tell him that he doesn’t have a dream. Tinubu is a political juggernaut who has done a lot of consulting and continues to do so. Buhari’s best option is to hold a free and fair primary election and to allow all candidates to begin consulting right away. Anyone hoping for Buhari’s endorsement is setting themselves up for disaster.
