Hours after the All Progressives Congress presidential primary, the Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Festus Keyamo, Wednesday, slammed former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his role during the Peoples Democratic Party presidential primary in 2007.
Keyamo said unlike Obasanjo, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) provided needed leadership for the ruling party by ensuring a free, fair and credible party primary that produced the former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu.
The PUNCH reports that Tinubu scored 1,271 votes to defeat his closest contenders, Rotimi Amaechi and Yemi Osinbajo.
Amaechi obtained 316 votes while Osinbajo polled 235.
He contested against thirteen other aspirants – Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Mr Ahmed Rufai, Senator Rochas Okorocha, Mr Jack Rich, Governor Ben Ayade, Governor David Umahi, Senator Ahmed Yarima, Dr Ahmed Lawan, Osinbajo, Amaechi, Governor Yahaya Bello and Mr Ogbonnaya Onu.
Nine aspirants had earlier stepped down, eight of whom asked their supporters to vote for Tinubu, while one asked his supporters to vote for Osinbajo.
Those who stepped down before voting began are Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa, Robert Boroffice, Ken Nnamani, Ibikunle Amosun, Dimeji Bankole, Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi and Godswill Akpabio.
But reacting to Tinubu’s victory in a tweet on his Twitter handle, the minister said Buhari led a transparent convention without “imposition and interference”.
“OBJ are you watching? The kind of leadership OBJ failed to give @OfficialPDPNig in 2007 is what PMB just provided for the world to see: complete transparent process to pick a possible successor; no IMPOSITION; NO INTERFERENCE; who’s the democrat now? Congratulations @officialABAT
“The heroes of APC Convention are the Northern Govs who reflected the extreme complexity of Nigeria in their decision to move power down South, and PMB who proved to his disciples that he is EVERYTHING but what he has been so unfairly accused of; congratulations again @officialABAT”
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