2023 APC Primary: I Have No Regrets Supporting Osinbajo — Adeyeye

Former Senator Olusola Adeyeye has said he has no regrets about supporting former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary ahead of the 2023 general election, describing his decision as a principled choice made in good conscience.

Adeyeye made the remarks during an interview with Western Spring Television on Monday, explaining that his decision was influenced by his understanding at the time that President Bola Tinubu was not planning to contest the presidency.

“I don’t regret my stand in 2023 for one second. I took a principled stand in good conscience. I’m a good friend of Tinubu. The president told me he didn’t intend to run for president. So I decided, if the president will not run, who among our party members should I support?” he said.

The former lawmaker said that if he had been younger and possessed the financial resources required to prosecute a presidential campaign, he might have considered contesting the position himself rather than supporting another aspirant.

He explained that, having acknowledged his limitations in terms of age and finances, he consulted prominent individuals in Yorubaland to determine who would be best suited to represent the region in the presidential race if Tinubu did not contest.

According to Adeyeye, the consultations produced different recommendations, with some stakeholders favouring Osinbajo, others supporting former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, while some suggested former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi as a younger alternative.

He said he eventually settled for Osinbajo after considering the various options, adding that his decision was based on his assessment of the aspirants and what he believed would best serve the interests of the party and the Yoruba people.

Adeyeye also disclosed that some wealthy individuals, including non-politicians and people who were not Yoruba, had approached him with offers to finance a possible return to the Senate. However, he maintained that his position on the presidential contest was guided by personal conviction rather than financial considerations.

The former senator said he viewed the APC presidential primary as an internal contest among political allies and believed that the exercise should not create lasting divisions within the party.

“I also told this country, if people had listened, that the primary process is a family affair. It’s a sibling rivalry. Within our party, Osinbajo and Tinubu are political siblings,” he said.

He explained that although Tinubu and Osinbajo occupied different positions in the party’s hierarchy, their political relationship should not degenerate into hostility because of their competing ambitions during the primary.

Adeyeye further stressed that he had made it clear from the outset that he would support whoever emerged as the APC presidential candidate, irrespective of his personal preference.

“I also said that whoever emerged as the candidate would get my support, whether Amaechi, Fayemi, and, as it happened eventually, my good friend Tinubu,” he said.

The former senator’s comments reaffirm his position that his support for Osinbajo during the 2023 APC presidential primary was a principled decision, even though Tinubu eventually won the party’s ticket and went on to emerge as Nigeria’s President in the 2023 general election.