President Tinubu Had To Reject Late Yar’Adua’s Ministerial Offer – Babafemi Ojudu

Ex-Special Adviser on Political Matters to Muhammadu Buhari, Babafemi Ojudu has come out to say that he and other allies convinced President Bola Tinubu to reject an offer to serve as Minister of Finance under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

He recently had his say during an appearance on State Affairs podcast, and Nigerians have been reacting.

According to him, accepting the role would have posed significant political risks for Tinubu, who was then the leader of the Action Congress, so he immediately warned the current president about the potential fallout of the decision.

He added that Tinubu would have dug his political grave if he accepted such kind of role.

His words, “Tinubu called me one day and said, ‘Congratulations to me.’ I asked, ‘Congratulations for what?’ He then told me that former President Yar’Adua had called him to join his government of unity as Minister of Finance.

I said, ‘You are in Action Congress. Are you not a student of history? Do you not see what happened to Bola Ige? You are digging your political grave if you accept that type of job.

Rauf Aregbesola walked in and said, ‘Femi is right; that is not a job to take.

One businessman walked in and said, ‘You guys are too radical. This thing will benefit everyone.’ But I insisted, ‘No, we are not looking for this type of benefit. We are looking for his political survival.

He is our leader. Our dream for him is bigger than him becoming a minister in Yar’Adua’s government. Nine months down the line, they would arrest him, try him, and finish him off — the way they did to Bola Ige.”

On backing Osinbajo instead of Tinubu in 2023, “We cannot quarrel. It is about our vision taking different routes. I just came from Bayo Onanuga’s daughter’s wedding. People saw me and said, We never knew you would come around.

I told them, Do you think we are boxing each other? It is not personal. For me, loyalty to friendship is on a lesser scale than sacrifice for the country.”

WOW.