In a candid interview on Splash FM 105.5 with Edmund Obilo, former presidential aide and political strategist, and Senator Babafemi Ojudu gave fresh insight into the internal politics that shaped the 2023 APC presidential primary.
He revealed that former President Muhammadu Buhari failed to give Vice President Yemi Osinbajo the full backing he needed to secure the party’s ticket, a move that ultimately worked to Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s advantage.
“He didn’t do that for Osinbajo,” Ojudu said, referring to the full-scale mobilization of political support. “And I think Tinubu outsmarted him.”
According to Ojudu, Buhari’s reluctance to decisively rally support around Osinbajo left a vacuum that Tinubu skillfully exploited. He argued that while Osinbajo had public goodwill and political potential, the absence of strong institutional backing from Buhari and his loyalists made it difficult for the former vice president to mount a formidable challenge.
“The truth is, Buhari didn’t support Tinubu either,” Ojudu added. “I’m not sure he was a fan of Tinubu.”
The revelation adds weight to long-standing speculations that Buhari remained neutral or even indifferent during the APC primary contest. Ojudu’s comments suggest that Buhari’s lack of decisive intervention played a critical role in the dynamics of the power struggle within the ruling party.
Ojudu’s claims further expose the complex interplay of loyalty, personal ambition, and strategy that defined the APC’s internal politics leading up to the 2023 elections.
It also shows how Tinubu’s political mastery and ground-level organization gave him the upper hand in a contest where presidential support was uncertain and fragmented.
