4 Defining Moments That Won Tinubu APC Presidential Ticket
- The much anticipated presidential primary election of the ruling All Progressive Congress has come and gone
- Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged the winner after amassing 1271 delegate votes dusting his closest rival Rotimi Ameachi who got 361 delegate votes
- Meanwhile, there were some moments and prior events that must have led to Tinubu securing the victory
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Against all odds, Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged the last man standing in what will be described as an intriguing one-week political affair within the ruling All Progressive Congress.
Despite Tinubu's landslide victory, it was not all that an easy affair in the quest to secure the golden ticket to represent the party for the highest political seat for the world's most populous nation and arguably the greatest black nation in the world.
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Albeit, there was some determining factor that helped authenticate Tinubu as the elephant in the room. Here are eight major reasons why Tinubu 1,271 votes to defeat 13 fellow presidential aspirants which included the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.
1. Tinubu's infamous address in Abeokuta
This is no doubt one of those moments that will go down memory lane in Nigeria's history.
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Tinubu during his campaign for delegates' support, visited the APC delegates in Abeokuta, Ogun state.
In his address, he revealed to the delegates publicly that his influence was instrumental to the ascension of President Muhammadu Buhari to the Aso Rock as well as the sitting governor of Ogun state, Dapo Abiodun.
According to TheCable, Tinubu claimed he visited Buhari in his Kaduna home to reassure him that he will contest the presidency and win after three failed attempts.
He said:
“If not for me that led the battlefront, Buhari wouldn’t have won. He contested first, second and third time, but lost. He even said on television that he won’t contest again.
“But I went to his home in Kaduna. I told him ‘you would contest and win, but you won’t joke with the matter of the Yoruba’.
His outburst in Abeokuta was delivered with reiterated authority and confidence stating his determination and interest to become the rightful candidate of the APC.
2. Aisha Buhari's role
This was not known by many people in the public that the President's wife was pivotal to Tinubu's victory at the APC presidential polls.
According to TheCable, shortly after Tinubu's infamous outburst in Abeokuta, it was gathered that the President was angry.
Sources said Aisha Buhari in Tinubu's defense told the president that there was nothing wrong in what he said.
Sources also revealed that at the penultimate hour of the election, the first lady barred people from seeing her husband in other to prevent any attempt to change his mind.
3. Seven aspirants stepping down
This was a very decisive moment in the race for the presidential ticket of the APC.
At the Eagle Square in Abuja during the course of the APC special convention, seven aspirants stepped down for Tinubu, diverting their delegate votes to the former Lagos state governor.
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As reported by Legit.ng, these seven aspirants include, former Minister for Niger Delta Affairs Senator Godswill Akpabio; former Ogun Governor Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Ekiti Governor Kayode Fayemi; Jigawa Governor Abubakar Badaru; former Speaker of House of Representatives Dimeji Bankole; Deputy Senate Chief Whip Ajayi Boroffice and the only female aspirant, Uju Ohanenye.
4. El-Rufai and the 11 nothern governors
Prior to the stepping down of aspirants at the convention, a swift plan had been put in place by some allies of Tinubu.
A meeting led by Kaduna state governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai saw the converngence of eleven northern governors of the APC who agreed to zone the presidency to the south.
As reported by PremiumTimes, it was gathered that this meeting convinced Abubakar Badaru, the governor of Jigawa state, to withdraw from the race with the eleven northern governors signing a pact.
These governor include, Governors Aminu Masari (Katsina); Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger); Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa); Babagana Zulum (Borno); Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna); Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe); Bello Matawalle (Zamfara); Simon Lalong (Plateau); Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and former Governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aliyu Wamakko.
Buhari congratulates Tinubu on landslide victory
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC presidential flagbearer in the 2023 elections.
Buhari’s congratulatory message is contained in a statement issued by his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, on Wednesday, June 8, in Abuja.
The president also thanked the delegates and noted they made the right decision while calling for their unity in the forthcoming polls.
Source: Legit.ng
