…”You can lick your wounds” – Asiwaju to Lawan
Against all odds, the former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday clinched the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 presidential election.
Tinubu garnered 1, 271 votes to defeat his closest rival, Rotimi Amaechi who scored 316 while Vice President Yemi Osinbajo came third with 235 votes and is followed by Ahmad Lawan who got 152 votes. There were 13 void votes.
Vice-President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo garnered 235 votes to come third.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan, who the National Chairman of the party, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, earlier announced as the consensus candidate of the party endorsed by President Muhammadu Buhari to the consternation of many, polled 152 votes.
Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, scored 47 votes; former governor of old Abia State and immediate past Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, garnered one vote; Engineer Dave Umahi, governor of Ebonyi State, garnered 38 votes; governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade, got 37 votes.
Hon. Emeka Nwajiuba, immediate past Minister of State for Education, scored one vote. Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima, former governor of Jigawa State, polled four votes. Pastor Tunde Bakare, who claimed that God anointed him the 16th president of Nigeria to take over from President Buhari score zero votes.
Bakare was not alone in the zero contingent. Former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha; Tein Jack Rich, and Chief Ikeobasi Nwaokelu, scored zero votes.
The former Lagos State governor, in his acceptance speech also declared that the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) cannot come back to power any time soon.
2,223 delegates cast their votes in 40 ballot boxes. There were 23 aspirants in all. But Nwajiuba didn’t even bother to turn up at the Eagle Square. Out of the 23, nine voluntarily stepped down or withdrew and signed the withdrawal form, leaving 14 others to slug it out. Out of the nine that stepped down before voting began, seven declared support for Tinubu, while one went for Osinbajo.
While apologising to President Buhari for keeping him waiting for too long, Tinubu said, “I didn’t expect to win, but I won”
President Buhari, assisted by the party’s national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, along with some governors presented the party flag to Tinubu to fly.
The Asiwaju, who said he had a lifelong ambition to be President of Nigeria fought the political battle of his life.
