How I beat Abdulahi Adamu to deliver Tinubu as APC candidate — Omisore

A former National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Iyiola Omisore has revealed how he delivered Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the party’s flag bearer in 2022.

Omisore made this revelation in an interview with Channels Television on Friday.

The former Osun State deputy governor confirmed that the then APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, wanted the North to retain the Presidency after the eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari, who is from the North-West.

He said, “In politics, everybody has their mindsets, we came from different (geopolitical) zones to the NWC (National Working Committee) that time, representing differing different interests.

“I was the most senior member of the party in the South-West and my mandate was to deliver the South-West for Presidency. Somebody from South-South too, his own mandate was to deliver South for the Presidency, I want to assume so.

“So, my own way was to get to my destination which I have gotten to today. The way and manner I did my journey is between me and God.

“I can’t castigate anybody who tried to be smart but if you want to be smart and I outsmarted you, to God be the glory. But the point is that my mission was to deliver the South-West Presidency which we are today.”

Omisore said though Adamu backed a different aspirant, the NWC was able to present a convention “where democracy took place and democracy was respected.”

“We voted, everybody had a choice and it was transparent. And the moment there is a transparent primary, there won’t be any noise; it is only when people feel cheated that they go to court.”

The former APC National Secretary said everything that happened in the buildup to the APC presidential primary was “all political”.

He said, “Whatever we did then was for that time. The party had moved on to consolidating on democratic gains for the benefit of Nigerians.

Recall that in the build-up to the APC presidential primary in June 2022, Adamu announced then Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, as the party’s “consensus candidate.”

But the announcement was strongly rejected by a league of northern governors who preferred Tinubu.

Despite the twists, Tinubu won the keenly contested primary, trouncing strong contenders like Lawan, ex-Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, amongst others.

The former Lagos governor would later defeat opposition figures like Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) at the February 2023 general election to clinch the number one spot at Aso Villa.