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Introducing VP Osinbajo to Bola Tinubu in 1999 for commissionership, my greatest regrets—Onanuga

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The spokesman for the Bola Tinubu Campaign Organization, Mr Bayo Onanuga, said on Monday that he regretted introducing the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) to the then Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in 1999 to be appointed the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice just before the inauguration of the government.

Onanuga said his reaction came on the heels of criticism by a former National Secretary of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Mr Buba Galadima, who believed that Osinbajo should not have contested the presidency with Tinubu as his mentor and former boss.

According to him, Tinubu was about to form his cabinet in the presence of Otunba Gbenga Daniel (who later became Governor of Ogun) and Dele Alake (who got appointed as Lagos Commissioner for Information) when he nominated Osinbajo to the governor-elect.

Tinubu had penciled down Bayo Oriola as the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General but he interjected and nominated his bosom friend and school mate at the University of Lagos, Osinbajo, Onanuga said in his article released on Monday to Persecondnews.

Looking back now, did I regret what I did in January 1999. Yes, I would say I have some regret, especially since my action hurt Bayo Oriola; and my apology to Oriola once again. I could not have foreseen today’s turn of events between Tinubu and Osinbajo, who I nominated to be Justice Commissioner.

When I nominated Osinbajo and spoke highly of him, Tinubu was eager to meet him and asked me to invite him over. After the meeting, I went to Osinbajo’s house in Ogudu to invite him to meet the new governor.

I remember entering the apartment from the kitchen. The wife was there when I delivered the message and left the house with him, later.

“I have never published this story before and hereby want to apologise to my namesake, Bayo Oriola, for blocking what should have rightly been his entitlement, going by the role he played during the campaign. I hope Oriola would have the heart to forgive me,” recounted the former Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He also recalled that Alake, a classmate of Osinbajo and Mr Babatunde Fowler (who was appointed Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service under Buhari administration first term) at Igbobi College Lagos, also put in a word for Osinbajo to be nominated as the Justice Commissioner, controverting the claim by the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Sen. Babafemi Ojudu, that he introduced Osinbajo to Tinubu for the commissionershp.

He said Tinubu later nominated Osinbajo as the running mate to Muhammadu Buhari for the 2015 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress which they won, defeating a sitting President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan.

Onanuga noted that Osinbajo who has served as Vice-President for seven years is now contesting the APC primary against Tinubu.

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