Mix-reactions have begun to trail the emergence of
Osinbajo as Buhari’s running mate for the 2015 presidential election.
While many applauded the opposition party for
coming up with Osinbajo, a cross section of Nigerians disagreed with his
emergence.
Leading the pack of Nigerians who kicked against
the emergence of the former Lagos State justice commissioner on Wednesday was R
&B Singer and founder of Empire Mates Entertainment, Banky W.
According to the award-winning musician, there
were better experienced hands than Osinbajo in public administration that the
APC could have picked from.
He lamented that the “crap” called religion had
robbed the opposition party of fielding Lagos State Governor, Babatunde
Fashola, who he described as more eminently qualified than Osinbajo.
“It (Buhari’s running mate) should be Fashola.
They use religion as a tool to control us. I don’t care about my leader’s
tribe, religion, or whatever jargon they keep feeding us. Zoning ‘religioning’
are all crap. Who cares if Fashola is a Muslim? Didn’t we vote him into power
in Lagos? Did the fact that he’s a muslim affect the way he lead the state?
“They brainwash us into thinking these things
(religion, tribe) really matter and then we wonder why we’re still here facing
the same problems as a nation. We wonder why people still kill each other in
places like Jos.
“Some of my mentors, clients, business partners
and colleagues are from different tribes and religions than mine. What
difference does it make? I don’t choose who to do business with based on if
they’re from my village. I don’t choose who to associate with based on their
religion,” Banky W said on Twitter.
But supporters of Osinbajo have disagreed with
those questioning his emergence. Online commentator, Dipo Awojide, expressed
confidence that the APC presidential candidate being an academic, would bring
dynamism to governance, at the national level.
Awojide described the law professor as an upright
Nigerian and a role model who has mentored scores of young men and women on
ways of “building careers without stealing.”
Describing him as a man of deep intellectual
persuasion, Awojide tweeted, “As a Nigerian and as a member of the RCCG, I’m
proud of Prof. Osinbajo. No apologies.
“Call him Prof. Osinbajo, call him Pastor
Osinbajo, call him all you like, but you know you can’t call him a thief and a
looter.
“Being neutral in an era of misgovernance and
misrule is unwise. You don’t have to join a political party, just vote for the
best man.”
Online activist, Gbenga Sesan, also hailed
Osinbajo’s emergence, stating that the Buhari-Osinbajo ticket would form a
government that would “demonstrate the capacity for competitive action over
mediocrity.”
According to Sesan, unknown to many, the Senior
Advocate of Nigeria is much more than a pastor.
“He (Osinbajo) is a Professor of Law, reformer
with a track record in Lagos and Abuja, and a fine administrator. I’ll say APC
made a smart move and got a great man,” he tweeted.
Arguing that Osinbajo was a good choice,
Abuja-based public affairs analyst, Waziri Adio, explained that the university
teacher would add value to the Buhari presidential ticket.
He said that Osinbajo co-founded Integrity, a
premier pro-accountability non-governmental organisation before he became Lagos
Attorney-General. He has since been active in civil society after office.
“I think he’s a good choice. He’s calm,
articulate, cerebral, and reform-minded. He complements GMB both on his
strengths and weaknesses.
“True, Osinbajo is a pastor at Redeemed Church,
but I do not think he was chosen only to appeal to that church. But his value
on d ticket is because the South West will be the battleground in 2015,” he
wrote on Twitter.
But the Presidency has insisted that President
Goodluck Jonathan will coast home to victory in 2015. Special Assistant to the
President on New Media, Reno Omokri, insisted that despite the opposition
party’s alleged grandstanding it had yet to unveil its programmes.(PUNCH)
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