By Oluwafemi Popoola
“I admire you and I said this man is a real professor. You know the way you talk not just because you are a Professor but it is in your DNA, the way you bring us together, the points you made as well, I will always be your admirer.”
Those were, in part, the words of the Oba of Benin Kingdom, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Ewuare II, when he, on Thursday, April 28, 2022, described the leadership of the Vice President of Nigeria and a front line presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Prof Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON, as inborn talents, saying the VP’s eloquence, calmness, humility and leadership were naturally present at birth not by being a professor.
The first-class monarch made this disclosure at his palace in Benin, Edo State, where he received the Vice President, who had visited the state to inform the monarch of his desire to serve the country by running for the Office of the President in 2023.
Without sounding much philosophical, one can find the truism in the above comments made by the first-class monarch in reference to the VP’s exemplary qualities if we immerse ourselves in Osinbajo’s life itinerary and ponder on his personality.
The legendary English poet, William Shakespeare, in his work, Twelfth Night, said: “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” Without an iota of doubt, Osinbajo has greatness thrust upon him. His rise to prominence and political stardom was consequential to his leadership aptitude which the Oba of Benin identified and publicly extolled while also projecting him as the “son of the soil.”
The Vice President’s visit to the revered monarch was in continuation of his consultations to meet with the state’s party delegates, political actors, leaders of thought and critical stakeholders ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary elections on May 30 and 31 of this year preparatory to the 2023 presidential race.
The Oba of Benin said he admired the Vice President’s eloquence, calmness, humility, respect for culture, and fear of God while thanking him for having respect for culture.
He said the preeminent credentials and exemplary qualities of the Vice President are causing panic and confusion in the camp of other contestants, causing them to shiver, as he affirmed that Professor Osinbajo is a man of impeccable character.
Hear him, “I admire you and I said this man is a real professor. You know, the way you talk not just because you are a Professor but it is in your DNA the way you bring us together.
“With your credentials and entrance to the race, other contestants must be shivering wherever they are.
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“We don’t have to over flog your credentials, they speak for themselves. I always admire you greatly.
“Because of your credentials, humility, calmness, there’s no gainsaying that your contestants are shivering where they are.
“I was supposed to be in Abuja today for a meeting but I had to put it on hold to receive our dear son of the soil, Yemi Osinbajo,” the royal father said.
There is no gainsaying that the VP’s personality and qualities have won him many praises by high and low in the country. The same way the Deji of Akure, Oba Aladelusi, showered the VP with delicious epithets few days ago when he offered Osinbajo his royal blessing in realization his 2023 presidential dream. He said “had it been it was in advanced countries, in all of the APC, nobody would run (for President), they would all just support you.”
These are no extravagant praises. They are splashes of evidence of the believability of Osinbajo’s personality, leadership acumen and the confidence reposed in his eventual presidency.
It is not surprising that Osinbajo’s entrance in the presidential race has made him become a constant focus of public attention as all fingers steadily point to his direction whenever 2023 presidential debate pops up either on TV screens, in the pages of the national dailies or during Nigerians general day-to-day political discussions.
The latest endorsement by the monarch ahead of the ruling APC presidential primary election has now made solid the people’s quest to reproduce the Vice President Osinbajo, in Aso Rock, come 2023, now as the helmsman.
This is someone who has proven to be an enormously galvanizing figure not only in the ruling APC, but across all the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Party men, political and support groups, civil society organizations, politicians, governors and political analysts, traditional rulers across all divides have since swung into projecting his good image as the right candidate to take over the highest political office in Nigeria.
With few weeks away to the APC primary elections, it is safe for the ruling APC to start looking in the direction of Osinbajo if the party is serious in retaining power in 2023 and beyond as the former law Professor remains the most sellable product amongst his fellow contestants in the party.
As general elections come knocking, VP Yemi Osinbajo is basking in the love of many Nigerians at the moment and it has left the Nigerian people masturbating on the possibility of electing for the very first time an intellectual, academic and a law professor in Aso Rock come 2023.
• Popoola, is a political analyst, content analyser and news aggregator. He can be reached via bromeo2013@gmail.com
