2023: God always has hand in who becomes Nigeria’s president, VP ― Gbenga Daniel

Former Ogun State governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, on Monday said God always has a hand in who is elected president and vice president in the country.

Daniel went spiritual when asked about his 2023 ambition. He said he had none and reminded that unwilling personalities had been emerging the leader of the country since the prime ministership of now-late Alhaji Tafawa Balewa.

The stalwart of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) spoke at an interactive session with the media in Lagos.

He went at length to prove he was promised nothing when decamping from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), noting that the emergence of now-late Buruji Kashamu as the PDP’s governorship candidate for Ogun State was the last straw for him and his supporters.

A reporter had asked if it was true he was made a long list of promises to decamp, including a likely presidential run.

Going spiritual, Daniel said, “nobody approached me for anything. It can only be in the realm of speculation. There is always the hand of God in who becomes president and vice president. The only election you campaign for in Nigeria and work with your hand is governorship. From Tafawa Balewa, to Shehu Shagari, to Obasanjo, to Jonathan and even the incumbent who said he wasn’t running again at the time he became the president, it has always been the hand of God choosing those who didn’t plan for it.

“When I heard the rumour Yemi Osinbajo was being considered for VP, I called him and mentioned it to him. He just dismissed it, saying he was at the Redemption Camp, but he was eventually nominated.

“One that I witnessed live was when President Jonathan was to pick a running mate after becoming president. All the governors asked from him, was that the pick should be one of them, which he agreed to. We were having a meeting when the president sent for us and at that point, eyes were on two governors, including Isa Yuguda of Bauchi.

“As we were seated, some governors who had documents to sign for their states went in to see the president and when the chief of staff came and called Namadi Sambo of Kaduna State, we thought he was also in, to sign documents. After about five minutes, he came back and sat with us and nobody knew anything.

“The two we thought would get it, were already winking at me when the president walked in. He then said, your excellencies, I promised I would pick one of you and I have picked Sambo. For a moment, we were all shocked and there was silence, we then quickly recovered and clapped.

“Believe me, the race is not for the swiftest or the fastest.”

He attempted solutions at other myriads of problems ravaging the country, declaring unequivocal support for the Asaba Declaration of the Southern Governors’ Forum.

He warned against election boycott, saying such decision, could have an ugly outcome, while calling on leaders to go beyond the emotive, in providing a roadmap for their people.

According to him, “We should put on our thinking cap. I appeal to our people in this struggle. We must appreciate that there are so many dimensions to the process. We can’t first act, then think. What we owe those we lead is to think deeper and better than them and provide responsible leadership.”

He also called for deeper engagement with ethnic agitators, saying that the fundamentals are rooted in taking care of the constitution and their aspirations, to achieve equity, justice and fairness.

Daniel who presided over the affairs of Ogun State between 2003 and 2011 advocated radical solutions to the economic woes of the country, particularly efforts being made to provide employment for the masses.

He rejected the insinuation that he stabbed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the back as the Director General of his campaign, by dumping the APC when the presidential candidate was still in court, saying “once the election is won and lost at the ballot, my job is done. The rest is for the legal people and cases could take a long time in court.”

Daniel didn’t see a big deal in decampment in the Nigerian political space, noting that there were no fundamental ideological differences between the two main political parties.

He added that most of the politicians dominating political discourse today have moved political homes, at one point or the other, using Atiku, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, President Buhari, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, amongst others, as copious examples.

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