IBB shocks Osinbajo group, endorses Saraki

After APC national leader Bola Tinubu and former V.P Atiku Abubakar visited Niger, and paid homage to former military President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, another presidential hopeful has gone to get an endorsement.

Former Sen. President Bukola Saraki is the preferred candidate of IBB.

This revelation might shock the political group fronting for V.P Yemi Osinbajo whom IBB had earlier described as a candidate Nigeria needs.

This was confirmed when Saraki’s National Campaign Advocacy Council visited IBB on Wednesday, days after his PDP rival Atiku did.

Babangida described Saraki as a “self-propelled artillery best for Nigeria”.

“I’m glad to have found people who have defined who a true Nigerian leader should be. This definition was lacking. I’m happy you have identified someone who can do the job. The narrative has to change. I know your client very well. I am part of him. His father was very close to me,” he told the council.

“You have zeroed on a good candidate. I call him SP. In the artillery we have a self-propelled gun called SP with strategic responsibility and functions. That is who he is.”

He cited Saraki’s leadership of the eighth Senate, and how the former governor saved the nation.

But the former president identified a challenge: diversity.

“But a lot of work must be done to convince colleagues and Nigerians on this,” he said.

“We have abused our diversity and are not able to use it well to our advantage. I believe that the young Saraki has the capacity to bring back this glory to our nation. He has my prayers, he has my absolute support.”

Saraki, 59, declared again for the presidency last week, following his 2019 attempt which he lost in the primary to Atiku.

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He also lost the senatorial election, which nearly ended him politically in Kwara where he governed for eight years.

Among the Saraki foot soldiers that visited Minna were the council chairman, Prof Hagher Iorwuese and the Director-General, Chief Osaro Onaiwu.