Osinbajo yet to declare interest in 2023 presidential race – Aide

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The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has not yet declared interest to run for the 2023 presidential election.

This is according to his media aide, Laolu Akande, who disclosed this via a statement issued on Monday.

“Prof. Osinbajo has not declared any interest whatsoever in the 2023 election, but he is rather focused on working in his capacity as Vice President in the current administration to address all the compelling issues in the country and concerns of Nigerians, including finding effective and lasting solutions to the security challenges,” he said.

“Therefore, we ask that people desist from such unhelpful permutations while we all deal together with the challenges confronting us as Nigerians, and resolve them for the benefit of our people, peace, and prosperity in the land.”

Akande’s reaction followed a volunteer group mobilising support for Osinbajo ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

The vice president’s spokesman said Osinbajo “is not in any way connected to this website or the group behind it and considers such an enterprise an unnecessary distraction.”

Osinbajo is one of the politicians rumoured to be nursing a presidential ambition as Nigerians gear up for the next election cycle which is about two years from now.

The vice president, a lecturer and pastor, was a running mate to the then APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

President Buhari will complete his constitutionally permissible two terms of eight years in office in 2023.

The APC will likely hand its presidential ticket to the south of Nigeria–a region where Osinbajo and former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu come from.