Osinbajo-Tinubu
HighlightPoliticsTop StoryTrending Story

Presidential race: I’m for Tinubu, not Osinbajo, says Bayo Onanuga, PM News publisher

430

Mr Bayo Onanuga, a former Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and publisher, PM News, has denied jumping the ship of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the presidential race hots up.

Onanuga, a known Tinubu ally, said a report making the rounds that he had abandoned Tinubu for Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is far from the truth.

“I am fully in support of  Bola Tinubu. I am not in PYO’s camp and will not be in his camp if Tinubu is running,’’ said Onanuga who cut his journalistic teeth in the defunct African Concord magazine, floated by the late Chief MKO Abiola.

“My attention has been drawn to some lies being circulated about me as having jumped the Bola Ahmed Tinubu train and being against his presidential ambition.

“The faceless writer, I guess a hatchet hand wrote: `Almost all members of the Tinubu original power/intellectual base and allies when he was Governor are not in support of his Presidential ambition. Aregbesola, Afikuyomi, Ojudu, Onanuga, Alake, Fasola etc. Most of them may work for PYO’.

“Let me correct this misrepresentation straightforwardly: the statement is far from the truth as far as I am concerned. People who know me will attest to the fact that I am ever loyal to my friends, loyal to a political cause. I have been on the political left since 1978’when I joined Awolowo’s UPN as a UNILAG student.

“I am not a renegade. And I can vouch for Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi and Dele Alake as well. The author of the rumour  was merely writing conjectures  on an issue that is unpredictable, a party’s primary election, where an outsider will only Labour in vain in making  permutations.

“As far as I am concerned, and let me say it loud and clear, I am in support of Bola Tinubu’s ambition. I am not against him. He is my first choice, the second choice and the third choice for the exalted seat,’’ Onanuga said in a statement given to Persecondnews on Saturday.

On the type of leader the country needs in post-Buhari administration, he posited: “Nigeria is in need of a visionary, a deep thinker, a man with the Midas touch, who can take our country on a journey of prosperity. This country has suffered enough and really needs a new leader who can breathe fresh air in it and change the way things are done.

“Nigeria needs a man of ideas, who will not just talk his way, but really get things done.I have no doubt that Bola Tinubu is capable of this, which is why I support his campaign to lead Nigeria.

“I have known him since 1992. I was part of his governorship campaign in 1998 before others were invited to his government after we won the election in January 1999.

“I was close to his government for eight years and I bore witness to the innovations he brought into governance, the overhauling of the system that he carried out, some of which other  states and the Federal Government had copied.

“I have no iota of doubt that he will replicate the same at the centre, and even do more, if given the opportunity. These are the reasons I support his campaign. And Nigerians will hear more about my involvement in the next few days.’’

Leave a comment

Related Articles

Updated: ₦80.2bln fraud: Yahaya Bello remanded at Kuje prison pending ₦500m bail perfection

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has granted...

Stop demolition of houses in FCT, Senate orders Wike

The Senate and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom...

National Sports Commission Leadership Presents Progress Report to Pres. Tinubu

The leadership of the National Sports Commission (NSC) met with President Bola...

African of the Decade Award: Gov. Abiodun hails AfDB President Akinwunmi Adesina

Excited by the Forbes award, Ogun Gov. Dapo Abiodun has congratulated the...

Just in: Alleged ₦80.2 bln fraud: Court admits ex-Gov. Bello to ₦500m bail

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has granted bail...

Afe Babalola seeks to disbar Farotimi over defamatory allegation

Barely a day after a court ordered the halt of Dele Farotimi’s...

Just in: N80bln fraud charge: Ex-Kogi Gov. Bello enters ‘not-guilty’ plea

Yahaya Bello, the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, has entered a...

Officials Risk Jail Term for Aiding Diversion of Local Government Allocations – Justice Minister

The Federal Government has vowed to take criminal action against elected officials...

Ghana Hands Over Nigerian Abiola Kayode to US Authorities for Prosecution Over $6m Cybercrime

Abiola Kayode, a 37-year-old Nigerian and former FBI most wanted cyber criminal,...

Kano State Cabinet Reshuffle: Chief of Staff Office Scrapped, SSG, Five Commissioners Dropped

Kano Gov. Abba Yusuf has announced a major cabinet reshuffle, impacting key...

Justice, transparency : CJN advocates synergy between judiciary and media

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has called for...

ECOWAS Launches $75m Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Facility

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has finalized the framework...

Indian Grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju Makes History as Youngest Undisputed World Chess Champion

Indian Grandmaster GuoIn a historic moment, 18-year-old Indian chess prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju...

Pres. Tinubu presents 2025 budget to National Assembly on Dec. 17

Barring any last-minute hitch, President Bola Tinubu will on Tuesday, December 17,...

VP Shettima chairs 146th NEC meeting in Abuja

Vice President Kashim Shettima is currently presiding over the 146th meeting of...

Human Rights Take Centre Stage as NNPC Ltd. Launches New Initiative

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has reaffirmed its commitment...

Just in: Sweden closes rape investigation against Kylian Mbappé for lack of evidence

The Swedish Prosecution Authority has announced the closure of the inquiry into...

Joy turns to unimaginable tragedy: Shettima mourns victims of Borno varsity graduation accident

…pledges the government’s support for families Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed...

World’s Richest man Elon Musk’s Net Worth Soars to $447bln Shattering Records

Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has continued to break records as...