Since the national leader of the All Progressives Congress,Asiwaju ,Bola Ahmed Tinubu has disclosed his intentions to run for the presidency come 2023,the talks have been around him (Tinubu) and his political son,Vice president Yemi Osinbajo.
While loyalists to Tinubu have begun to blow the trumpet of presumed arrival of Tinubu to Ask Rock come 2023,and some presidential candidates hopefuls have also shown intention,cries for and against the Vice President running for the highly exalted post have equally rented the air.
The argument in some quarters is that Jagaban has seen it all in Nigerian politics,invested in people including the vice president and thus should continue to play a god- father role rather than vying in 2023.
Not only that his critics have pointed at his presumed Ill health and some shady areas of his credentials as his achilles tendon, some have directly or otherwise encouraged Jagaban to drop the ambition to fly Apc presidential flag in 2023.
The social media and even the entire media space has been agog with Tinubu vs Osinbajo claims and counterclaims.
Interestingly, supporters of the two blocs in the APC circle have continued to throw naked verbal rockets ,helping non-Apc members to identify the flaws of potential presidential candidates of the party.
Recently,the vice president came to the open to caution his followers not to malign Jagaban whom he (Osinbajo)acknowledges as a political leader, although this has not put a stop to the unleashing of intra- party tantrums.
Now, Osinbajo who has never, up till this moment, disclosed whether or not he would be vying for the office he has been sitting next to for two tenures, attended the funeral of the late Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oyewumi held on Sunday,23rd of January, at First Baptist Church, Oke elerin Ogbomoso.
To decipher whether the Redeemed Christian Church of God Pastor and the All Progressives Congress,APC,man was led by holy or political spirit is a puzzle to be fixed.
Although, he reminded the congregation that he is still a pastor after rendering some meaningful musical pieces and proceeding to scripture reading.
One of the first rendition from the VP was that Yoruba christian/political song that I first heard of in 2015 during political campaigns in Oyo State .
“Otin se isere bo,Yara see lasepe ,otin siserebo layemi,Yara see lasepe” meaning you have started your work, complete it quickly,you have started your work in my live, complete it quickly.
The other was the popular Christian song”Kosagbara todabiti Jesu, kosagbara to dabi ti baba ….” In summary ,it means there is no power greater than the power of Jesus.
The Vice president proceded in the spiritual assignment to take the bible reading,and from all the books of the bible,with consideration to the nature of the event and the relevance of the portion of the scripture,the vice president read from the book of John Chapter fifteen from verse one through eight .
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He [a]takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you[b] will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
Going by the nature of the event and the song “Otin se ise re bo….” Do we say the death of the monarch was the work of God that needed to be completed promptly in Osinbajo’s life,or was the VP cleverly telling us that he has the backing of God in the new political journey and thus prayed to God to perfect the job in no distant time.
Tinubu,no doubt ,is a generally acknowledged political heavyweight who has a record of installing and removing people from office.
Even a political dunce knows that the journey of Osinbajo to Aso Rock as the Vp was not unconnected to the powerful Tinubu,just as the denial of Ambode second term grace
was a plot from the backyard of the Budillon.
Perhaps, Osinbajo has come to reckon with the potentials of the mighty power of Budillon , especially when the political race was just beginning and had envisaged how fierce the battle would be,the reason he rendered the song “Ko sagbara to da bi to Jesu……..” No power can match the power of Christ to remind Tinubu that he doesn’t have absolute power.
Now to the scripture reading.I(Osinbajo) am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He [a]takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Vs 3You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.Sure, there were political talks between the two.And with the fourth verse, Osinbajo admonishes” Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me…
The Vice President gave his verdict on the 5th verse…. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. .. without me Osinbajo,Tinubu,you can do nothing.Perhaps,what he (Osinbajo) meant.
And on the 6th verse Osinbajo tells Tinubu what happens in the future if Jagaban fails to support the VP…”If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned”hmmmm.
On the 7th verse, Osinbajo calls for political conformity , assuring Tinubu of his willingness to do his will……If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
The VP is confident of being the next president,hence,he presumed Tinubu as a Nigerian…”By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
As I still ponder on the reason the bible reading did not go beyond verse eight,I still wonder if my thought is mere coincidence or on point.
I watch out for more as they unveil.Welcome 2023,the opaque visitor.
