2019: Amosun, Tinubu Battle For Control Of South-West

Lagos – There are feelers that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State are currently engaged in a supremacy battle over the control of the South-West

geopolitical zone ahead of the 2019 elections.

There have been recent allegations and counter-allegations between the loyalists of the duo over recent developments in the party, especially in respect of the party’s preparations for the 2019 presidential election.

A chieftain of the party, who is well-grounded on the issues at stake, told INDEPENDENT that the Tinubu camp was suspecting Amosun of planting structures in all the states of the South-West which he planned to use to prosecute President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election if Tinubu withdrew his support for the president.

The party leader said, “It is no longer a secret in South-West APC that there is no love lost between Asiwaju Tinubu and Governor Amosun.

“It is generally believed that Amosun is the arrowhead of some APC leaders in the South-West who are referred to as ‘Buhari boys’.

“They have these eerie feelings that Asiwaju may not support President Buhari in 2019 and are already working on putting up their structures on the ground.

“Amosun, in particular, has been fingered in the scheme to plant his structures in all the South-West states while also trying to financially induce loyalists of Tinubu into his fold.

“While it cannot be substantiated, some of Tinubu’s supporters are also insinuating that the Amosun camp may be the brain behind a report last week which insinuated that Asiwaju is eyeing Osinbajo’s job.

“Aside the fact that the report is totally false and more of a hatchet job, it is also aimed at creating enmity between the president and Tinubu, on one hand, and Osinbajo and Tinubu, on the other.”

However, speaking with INDEPENDENT, an aide of Governor Amosun, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was no battle of supremacy between Tinubu and Amosun since the governor was not in contention with the APC leader over any issue.

“The report of a battle for supremacy between Asiwaju Tinubu and Governor Ibikunle Amosun is only the figment of the imagination of those spinning the fake news.

“Amosun has never been in contention with Asiwaju Tinubu over anything,” he said.

In a related development, Prince Tony Momoh, former Minister of Information, said while it was certain that President Buhari would seek re-election in 2019, he would not choose for himself a Muslim as a running mate.

Momoh, who was reacting to a newspaper report last week which claimed that President Buhari had concluded plans to field Tinubu as his running mate while the incumbent Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would retire to full pastoral work.

“I don’t comment on speculations; I comment on facts. The fact is President Buhari will contest in 2019 and he will win with a larger majority, like he did in the past. We are trusting God that he is strong enough.

“He will have a running mate which he will pick after due consultations. One thing I can say is that that the running mate will not be a Muslim.

“That person will not be a Muslim because we can’t have Muslim-Muslim ticket,” he said.