Nigeria Needs Competent Leader, Says Ogun Monarch

James Sowole in Abeokuta

The Chairman of Ogun State Council of Obas and Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, has said that Nigeria is facing a lot of challenges that only a competent leader could address

The monarch spoke in his palace in Sagamu, Ogun State, while receiving a group of youth under the aegis of Act Now, demanding that the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo should throw his hat into the ring for 2023 election.

The youth group, specifically, asked the traditional ruler to prevail on Osinbajo, to declare his intention to run for the presidency in order to succeed the incumbent, President Muhammadu Buhari.

Several political groups in the state have met with the monarch to prevail on him to declare his intention for next year’s presidential election.

Ajayi, who rules over Remo Kingdom where Osinbajo hails from, however, said the Vice President “knows the right thing to do” on his ambition.

He said, “Nigeria is battling myriad of challenges and it requires a good leadership structure and competent leader to resolve it.

“There is a lot of works involved. l can assure you that the Professor knows what is right for this country, he knows what is right for himself and what’s right for Nigerians.

“Just like you said, it is a request that you have asked me to put across, I will put it across. It does not cost me anything to put it across to him.

“There are a lot of issues in the interplay of Nigerian politics. Take it from me that that man is a very knowledgeable person. He knows what is right. He knows what he should do. What we need to do is to continue to pray for him that God will grant him wisdom to continue to do what is right. I’m sure he would consider it and he is considering it.

“We should just continue to wish the country the very best. We have not been able to get it right in Nigeria and we must hope that in the coming election we must be able to get it right.

“I take it as a personal mandate. I wish I will probably get the opportunity to sit with him and ask him ‘what are you doing? What are you going to do? People are asking me. Are you going to run or you are not going to run?’

“I’m sure he is going to give me a forthright and candid answer.”

Earlier, the leader of the group, Dr. Sola Osindero, explained that members of the group are professionals who have found Osinbajo as a worthy successor of President Muhammadu Buhari come 2023.

He said the group had observed and analysed the track records of those vying for presidency and zeroed in on Osinbajo as the “most fit politician.”

“For us there is nobody that is as experienced as Yemi Osinbajo out of those that have come out

“Professor Yemi Osinbajo has sat down and attended many NEC meetings, close to 62 NEC meetings as chairman meeting with all the governors and ministers for close to six years. He knows what is happening in the current administration. He is the brain behind many things and he has been supporting the president in all his works.

“We believe that President Muhammadu Buhari has laid a good foundation. What is left is for Professor Yemi Osinbajo to consolidate on what Buhari has started.

“Looking at the Social Intervention Programme, you can see what he did, how he transformed N-Power, School Feeding Programme, Conditional Fund Transfer, we also see the way he was relating with average Nigerian on Tradermoney.

“As the chairman of the economic management team, you can see how he takes Nigeria out of recession in record’s time.in 2016. So he has that experience, he has the economic capacity to lead Nigeria at this time.

“Now we need somebody that can start from first day, we do not need someone that will spend one year studying the files to be able to know what to do. Osinbajo will hit the ground running from the first day he gets to power.going by the experience he get from working with Buhari.”