2023: Why Pantami is Osinbajo’s Best Bet as Running Mate
As we move into the crucial election year of 2023, we have to face certain realities that stare us in the face which we can’t do away with, even if we don’t like them. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had been labelled by a couple of critics as being too favourable to his Yoruba kiths and kin, especially the ones who like him, worship at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
The latest letter emanating from the Church headquarters to its various arms ordering the establishment of a political and governance division to guide aspirants from church on strategy and how to recruit members for elections, has thrown a spanner in the works of whatever defense the Vice President’s supporters would like to put up on his behalf.
Read Also: 2023: Bola Tinubu and his ‘Loyal Boys’ in Government
Expectedly, the viral letter attracted the attention of columnists like Farouq Kperogi, Dele Momodu and many others. Kperogi aptly captured the fact that there are very deep sentiments regarding these religious sects in this country.
The only fact he forgot to add was that Pantami’s Sheikh-hood cuts across all sects in Islam and not just the Salafists. Pantami’s close relationship with Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi among leaders of other sects is a well known fact.
Dele Momodu on the other hand advised the church on caution. He argued that if such a move was meant to promote the candidacy of Osinbajo, he too and Senator Oluremu Tinubu who are stakeholders in the Church are supposed to benefit from such mobilisation.
Perhaps, the reason why the letter got so much interest was its timing. I guess people wondered why such a department or division had not been formed and given such attention all through the 23 years of the advent of this second republic. It is also not a hidden fact that Osinbajo’s body language indicates interest in the presidency even though he has not declared openly. It’s very likely indeed that the purpose of the letter is to promote Osinbajo’s chances. But because the pastors are not politicians, they dont realise it could do more harm than good to the chances of the Vice President.
The RRCG needs to thread carefully in order not to hurt Osinbajo’s chances in the north.
Regardless of how deep this can go, strategies are also countered by strategies and it was the suspicion of the emergence of these kinds of narratives that I wrote and insisted that Pantami was the near perfect fit for the 2023 permutations and I am somewhat vindicated today.
The article can be read here: https://opinion.premiumtimesng.com/2019/11/04/isa-ali-pantami-as-near-perfect-fit-for-the-2023-permutations-by-hashim-suleiman/
As it is now, Pantami is the only option of a Vice President that can neutralize whatever effect this RCCG and Osinbajo chances. I don’t see how the Sheikhs and their followers can fear anything when one of their finest is on the joint ticket.
We are watching!
Hashim Suleiman
[email protected]
