Despite the outcome of the results of the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said he only lost the battle and not the war.
Osinbajo, who spoke yesterday in Abuja at the campaign office of The Progressive Project (TPP), a coalition of support groups that backed him for the presidency, noted that he remains committed to the dream of a new Nigeria.
A statement by his spokesman, Laolu Akande, quoted the vice president as also stating that he would support the PC presidential flag bearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The VP who was received by a large crowd at the TPP office in Abuja described the clamour for a new Nigeria as a movement.
He said, “This movement is a movement within a party also, we are not doing something that has not been heard of before. What is new is that we have a firm belief that a new Nigeria is possible and it is possible through us who are here.
“We went to the convention, and the results showed us clearly that we lost, but it is only a battle; it is not the war. There are battles ahead, but we will win the war for a new Nigeria. I have no doubt in my mind that we will win that war for a new Nigeria.
“That is why our movement for a new Nigeria must remain strong and firm. And we will do everything to keep our movement strong and solid”.
According to the vice president, despite the result of the APC presidential primary, “the dream of a new country remains alive and well.
“We will have at the back of our minds, that what you have started in the various movements, coming into one, is the seed that will birth a new nation. You and I know the time has come and we will devote everything to it.
“I am committed and will remain committed to that dream (of a new Nigeria), for as long as you are willing and recognize that we have not yet written the story of this country, we have not yet completed the story of this country. As a matter of fact, the story has just begun, this movement has just started.
“A new Nigeria has only just started, and everywhere across this land, it will be clear to all that a new Nigeria has been born. Once the genie comes out of the bottle, you cannot put it back. The word has been spoken; it cannot be taken back: it is time for a New Nigeria,” Osinbajo added.
Pledging support for the APC presidential candidate for the 2023 elections, Osinbajo recalled the personal letter he wrote to Tinubu yesterday congratulating him on his victory at the party primary.
“In that letter, I said to him that the dream of this country, the dream of a new country, remains alive and well. And I want you to know in your hearts that we are democrats when we participate in a contest and the results are announced.
Continue To Champion Nigeria’s Devt, Youths Tell Osinbajo
“No matter what those results may be, we abide by them because there is only one process for democrats, whether that process is good or bad, there is only one, and we have gone through that process.
“And in that process, a winner has been adjudged, but that does not kill the dream of the great future. We will support our party; we will support the flagbearer of our party because we know that the other side is not even worth considering. So, we will support the flagbearer of our party, we will do everything we can,” he said.
Thanking Nigerians at home and abroad, including the Osinbajo support groups, for the overwhelming support for his presidential bid, the VP noted: “When we started this race, I never believed that we would have so many young men and women who would believe so passionately in the cause of a new Nigeria.”
Dolapo Osinbajo Consoles Husband
Meanwhile, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo has consoled her husband, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, after he failed to win the presidential ticket of the APC at Eagle Square, Abuja, on Wednesday.
The vice president lost the APC presidential ticket to his benefactor and former governor of Lagos, Bola Tinubu.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, the vice president’s wife wrote: “Oluyemi.. Oluleke.. Omoluabi.. Omo oko.. Oninu ire.. Oniwa Pele.. Oniwa tutu… Ologbon.. Olododo.. Alaanu.. I’m proud of you!”
Some 26,000 people liked the post with 3,000 others making comments of encouragement, including Segun Awolowo who responded with the #so proud.
Commenting, Oseunayo wrote: “We’re so proud of him. He did not win the primaries, but he did not lose his honour and integrity. I salute his steadfastness. God bless him forever.”
Osinbajo has since congratulated Tinubu on his victory saying “for many decades, our flagbearer has shown passion, patriotism, courage and determination in the cause of nation-building.
“His sterling contributions to our democracy and its progress stand him out. His wealth of experience will certainly be critical in our party’s continued efforts to attain a more secure and prosperous Nigeria.
“To all members of our great party, regardless of who you voted for at the primaries, we must now unite behind our presidential candidate and flagbearer to ensure victory for our party in the 2023 elections,” the VP stated.
Atiku Hosts Forum Of Former PDP Governors
Meanwhile, the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday hosted the forum of former governors of the party at his residence in Abuja.
The former vice president, in a post on his Instagram page late on Friday, described the meeting as pleasant and refreshing.
He said, “Steadily, the PDP is gearing for a phenomenal campaign ahead of the 2023 general election with a united front. The responses from all the stakeholders that I have met with reinforce the belief that as one, we can get it done.”
No official statement was however made on the focus and outcome of the meeting. The media was also not invited.
Reactions to his post were however mixed. While most were encouraging messages, at least one asked him to pick his running mate from the South East, and a few asked him to step down for Peter Obi, candidate of the Labour Party.
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