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Tag: Osinbajo

  • Promises of Buhari – Osinbajo presidency

    Promises of Buhari – Osinbajo presidency

    IR: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat”.

    These words of Theodore Roosevelt aptly relate to General MuhammaduBuhari and Professor Yemi Osinbajo in various ways. It is public knowledge that General Buhari has contested three presidential elections without success. There is inspiration for him in Abraham Lincoln’s four electoral losses before winning the presidency. Tackling Nigeria’s problems is not a sprint but a long distance race that demands doggedness and the never quit mentality. One more time, General Buhari offers himself for national service. This time he brings on the presidential ticket, a brilliant, well respected intellectual, indeed your quintessential attorney. Professor Osinbajo might not have been a household name in Nigeria prior to his nomination as vice-presidential candidate, but he is definitely not a new comer to Nigerian politics and/or governance matters having been actively involved in strategic thinking, policy formulation and implementation for the past 25 years.

    Osinbajo’s wells run deep, he is humane, graceful and humble.  He is not a reclusive thinker that sits on the sidelines to criticize. He is a team player with sleeves rolled up, ready to thoughtfully engage with systems. In the late 1980s he took the challenge of serving as Special Assistant to Prince Bola Ajibola, then Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. Their team created the much needed space for intellectual discourse on law reform and they facilitated meaningful dialogue on the problems with the rule of law in Nigeria.

    Between 1992 and 1999 he was a constant face in the movement for accountability and good governance. As corruption was getting further endemic in the mid-1990s, Professor Osinbajo and others strategized and established counter measures. They created and positioned Integrity as a platform to demand accountability in public spaces and sought the elimination of corruption in the private sector. Together they ensured that the Convention on Business Integrity was birthed and the Code of Business Integrity was established.

    In June 1999, he assumed office as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State. For the first time in the history of Nigeria we witnessed the implementation of a compelling vision in the Official Bar that marked a transition from a ministry of law and order to a ministry of justice. The Lagos State Ministry of Justice was emerging as a champion for the peoples’ rights.  It was not a programme neither was it an accident. Rather, it was a cultural revolution, a systemic change undergirded by values of justice and human dignity, piloted with tact and discretion, and sustained by team effort.

    Since leaving office in 2007 he continued to engage issues of poverty and good governance. Through the Open Society, his team devises and implements initiatives aimed to improve the quality of governance at the local government level and assistance is extended to schools and school children in the less privileged areas. Professor Osinbajo is a champion of the working class. He understands the dignity of labour, a living wage and equitable distribution of resources.

    General Buhari and Professor Osinbajo are not by any means men without fault. But they are our men for the job in the presidency at this point of our national history. The Buhari-Osinbajo presidency will not be an accidental or a reluctant presidency. These are two individuals with firm convictions of great possibilities for the nation. These are two men of courage: courage to follow through with great ideas; courage to take sides with the poor and the vulnerable;courage to do the right thing in interest of the nation. The Buhari-Osinbajo presidency might be our introduction to freedom from governmental recklessness and impunity. We might see the emergence of coherent, coordinated and effective policies and action against corruption and a determined and methodical reduction in poverty. The Buhari-Osinbajo presidency might be the beginning of our true democratic experience – the era where government is beholden to the people.

    • Gbemi  Jaiyebo,

     New York

  • APC VP candidate Osinbajo visits mall

    APC VP candidate Osinbajo visits mall

    Christmas Eve was a busy day for the All Progressives Congress’ vice presidential candidate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.

    After a two-hour meeting with young entrepreneurs, entertainers, professionals, bloggers and journalists at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, the law professor turned up at the Lekki Palms in the company with carolers and choreographers.

    He made a short speech, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

    The Redeemed Church of God pastor went around the mall, shaking hands with everyone, signing autographs and taking selfies. He even found the time to get an ice cream from Cold Stone.

    He was a big hit in the mall, as he drew huge crowds everywhere he went. He freely gave out his contact details as well.

    At an earlier meeting, Prof. Osinbajo took the time to explain  some sections of the APC manifesto.

     He also explained at length Muhammadu Buhari’s plans to tackle insurgency and corruption.

  • How APC ’ll tackle unemployment, power, by Osinbajo

    How APC ’ll tackle unemployment, power, by Osinbajo

    The vice-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof Yemi Osinbajo, has said it is possible to fix vital infrastructure and rid the country of corruption within four years, if politicians showed sincerity of purpose and will to take progressive decisions.

    Osinbajo, who spoke yesterday at the Oriental Hotel in Lagos when he met with youths and leaders of various volunteer groups working for the actualisation of the APC presidency, said fixing Nigeria was no rocket science.

    He said fate had brought him on a joint ticket with General Muhammadu Buhari to rescue the nation from the grip of a non-performing government, noting that APC government believed there was need for direct intervention in the welfare of the people.

    Osinbajo, a former Lagos State attorney-general, said the growing youth unemployment showed that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had failed the people.

    His words: “Why should 80 per cent of graduates be without jobs and we say we have practised democracy in the last 16 years?

    “We believe there is a disconnection between the people and the PDP government and we cannot continue to give excuses every time. There is no reason for the energetic population to be jobless and this is why the youth must vote APC for change.

    “If elected, the APC presidency would make the youth the centre of its programmes, because of their limitless human resources. Under an APC government, graduates who cannot get jobs after the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme would be engaged in compulsory vocation training for which they would get monthly stipends as incentives.

    “Government is about the people. I wonder why President Goodluck Jonathan is seeking re-election if his administration cannot improve the economy in the last five years.”

    The APC candidate said all areas of the economy were riddled with the leakages through which country’s resources were drained by a few individuals. Plugging the leakages, he said, would control corruption and restore integrity to government.

    “They said the major revenue generator is Nigeria’s oil and this is a sector that has been cornered by a few people loyal to the government. We have a problem of accountability here because nobody knows how much we make from crude oil.

    “If the corruption in the management process of the country’s resources is controlled, there is a lot of revenue we would have saved from going into private pockets.

    “I believe with Gen. Buhari’s unassailable integrity and openness, corruption will be reduced and people would enjoy good governance again.”

    The professor of public law scored the PDP government low in power generation, saying the huge resources the Federal Government had committed to generate insignificant megawatts of electricity had made people to lose hope in government.

    Osinbajo said APC had a clear-cut manifesto on how to improve power supply. He said the only way to achieve uninterrupted power supply was to have a will to pursue the amendment of the law making it impossible for private electricity generation.

    He said APC would encourage states and local governments to create their independent power projects for the benefit of the people in their domain.

    “We need to do away with this impracticable model of power generation. We plan to decentralise power supply to make it easy for private individuals or companies to have their own power plants.

    “We will amend the law mandating willing individuals to get licence before generating power for domestic use. If we fail to act now, we will still be here in the next 10 to 15 years.”

    On security, Osinbajo said the Jonathan administration lacked good management skill in the disbursement of security vote. He wondered why security agencies still complain of lack of weapons when the government said it had voted over N4 trillion for security.

    Rather than unravelling the cause of Boko Haram, Osinbajo said the PDP government deliberately accused the opposition of sponsoring insurgency in the North.

    “They leave the real cause of Boko Haram; they are looking for scapegoats to punish for their lack of ideas on how to contain the monster,” he said.

    The APC vice presidential candidate promised that APC government would unravel the identity of the people behind the insurgency and improve the military in modern warfare to tackle insurgency. This, he said, would be achieved with prudent management of security budget.

    Osinbajo dismissed insinuations that Buhari would islamise the country if elected.

    He said those calling the APC presidential candidate a bigot should be the ones people must avoid.

    “When Gen. Buhari had absolute power, he never allowed the country to participate in the meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC). As a military head of state, almost all his civilian cabinet members were Christians. So, why should anyone accuse him of being a bigot?”

  • Osinbajo: Legal giant on political turf

    Osinbajo: Legal giant on political turf

    As the Attorney General of Lagos State, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, who many of his former students describe as ‘an intellectual giant’, exhibited his mastery of the Law and commitment to due process, rule of law and true federalism in the many constitutional and precedential cases he argued before the Supreme Court. ERIC IKHILAE reports.

    Yemi Osinbajo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and a professor of law, was the Attorney-General (AG) and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State during the tenure of  the Governor, Bola Tinubu.

    The preponderance of opinion is that he is a man of great erudition and high intellectual standing; a rare soul imbued with integrity and yet humble, in spite of his many accomplishments, in a society that revels in vain glory.

    The former Law teacher at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) was not well known  when he served  between 1988 and 1992 as  Special Adviser to then Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Prince Bola Ajibola (SAN).

    He became the face of law in Lagos where, during his tenure as the Attorney-General  and Justice Commissioner (1999-2007),  he introduced major reforms that catapulted the state’s Judiciary to its current enviable height that it now serves as a reference point in judicial efficiency in the country.

    His appointment as Attorney-General, it was learnt, was informed by his  reform-minded contributions to the justice sector while he served in 1999, as member and Secretary of a Think-Tank and Transition Work Group, a body set up by then newly elected Governor Tinubu, to deliberate on strategies for transition from military  to democratic government in Lagos State.

    In Prof Osinbajo’s  years as Lagos AG, the state engaged in many legal battles with the Federal Government  then headed by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,  generally seen as having no regard for due process and the rule of law.

    In being convinced that due process and rule of law  cannot be divorced from governance, Osinbajo, with the backing of his governor, found his state always in court with the Federal Government. To his credit, the state won most of the cases.

    One of such was the suit marked:  SC.353/2001 between the AG, Lagos and AG of the Federation. It was instituted in 2001 by the Lagos State Government to, among others, challenge the constitutionality or otherwise of the Urban and Regional Planning Act, 1992.

    The Federal Government had sought to rely on the law to sell off some of its property in Lagos without any recourse to the state government.  Issues raised for determination  in the suit included:

    *Whether Urban and Regional Planning (Town Planning) as well as the regulation of physical development in relation to any land in Lagos State were within the legislative and executive jurisdiction of the Federal Government.

    *Whether the Urban and Regional Planning Decree No.8 of 1992 is inconsistent with the provisions of Sections 4 of the 1999 Constitution, therefore unlawful, null and void.

    *Whether the ownership rights of the Federal Government over land in state territories include the power to control and regulate town planning and physical development in relation to such lands.

    *Whether all approvals, permits, and licenses granted by the Federal Government or any of its agencies for any construction, building or physical development or use of Land in Lagos State without the consent of the state government are illegal, null and void.

    In its judgment on May 13, 2003, the Supreme Court held that the state government possessed control over the physical planning and developmental control within their territory. It also held that all development permits issued by the Federal Government to the buyers of its properties in Lagos from 1999 to that date subsisted, but henceforth, owners of such properties must obtain relevant permits from the state government.

    The judgment gave the Lagos State government the authority to  impose all compartments of levies on the Federal Government Lessees (those who bought Federal Government’s property).

    Prof Osinbajo also led the Lagos team in the celebrated case over control of natural resources located within the Continental Shelf of the country. The dispute was between the Federal Government and the eight littoral states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross-River, Delta, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo and Rivers States in relation to the southern (or seaward) boundary of each of these states.

    The Federal Government, in the suit  marked: SC28/2001, which it initiated at the Supreme Court in 2001, argued  that the southern (or seaward) boundary of each of the states is the low-water mark of the land surface of such state of the seaward limit of inland waters within the state, as the case so requires.

    It contended that natural resources located within the Continental Shelf of Nigeria are not derivable form any state of the Federation, a position countered by the eight littoral states.

    The suit sought “a determination of the seaward boundary of a littoral states within the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the purpose of calculating the amount of revenue accruing to the Federation Account  directly from any natural resources derived from that state pursuant to Section 162(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999.”

    Justice Michael Ogundare, who read the lead judgment on April 5, 2002, held that “the seaward boundary of a littoral state within the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the purpose of calculating the amount of revenue accruing to the Federation Account directly from any natural resources derived from that state pursuant to Section 162(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 is the low-water mark of the land surface thereof or (if the case so requires as in the Cross River State with an archipelago of islands) the seaward limits of inland waters within the state. And this shall be my judgment in respect of plaintiff’s case.”

    Prof. Osinbajo also led the Lagos team in the suit marked: S.C. 70/2004 between the AG, Lagos State and AG of the Federation instituted in 2004 by the state government to challenge the directive by then President Obasanjo to the effect that statutory allocation to states that created local governments, be withheld by the Finance Minister.

    President Obasanjo had, in a letter dated April 8, 2004 addressed to the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Nenadi Usman, faulted the decision of some states that conducted elections in newly created local government without waiting for the National Assembly to include such new local governments in the Constitution as required under Section 8(5) of the Constitution, and that of those that have refused to establish the “State Joint Local Government Account.”

    For those who conducted the election, President Obasanjo directed that “no allocation from the Federation Account should, henceforth, be released to the local councils of the above-mentioned states and any other state that may fall into that category, until they revert to their constituent Local Government Areas as specified in Part I of the First Schedule to the Constitution.”

    For those yet to create the joint account, the then President also directed that: “All states should be requested to submit evidence that they have established State Joint Local Government Account in compliance with Section 162-(6) of the Constitution and also determined the basis for sharing allocations from the Federation Account due to their constituent Local Government Areas.

    “In addition, they should also submit evidence of payment of state allocation into the State Joint Local Government Account, to enable payment of allocation to the Local Government Areas of each state from the Federation Account to the Joint Account.”

    Dissatisfied with these directives, the Lagos State Government sued the Federal Government at the Supreme Court. While Prof Osinbajo conducted the case on behalf of his state, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) led the Federal Government’s team.

    In its judgment on December 10, 2004, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of  Lagos State.  It held among others, that it was wrong for the Federal Governemnt to withhold statutory allocations due to the states under any guise.

    The court also faulted the Federal Government’s position that the Local Governments created in Lagos were illegal. It held that they were legitimately created, but remain inchoate until the National Assembly plays its part as stipulated under Section 8(5) of the Constitution.

    The then Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mohammed Uwais, who read the lead judgment granted the reliefs sought by the plaintiff. “To sum up the plaintiff’s action succeeds, all the reliefs sought are granted, but applicable only to the 20 Local Government Areas specified in Part 1 of the first Schedule to the Constitution.”

    The apex court held “the president has no power vested in him (by executive or administrative action) to suspend or withhold for any period whatsoever the statutory allocation due and payable to Lagos State Government pursuant to the provision of Section 162 (5) of the 1999 Constitution but in respect of the 20 Local Government Areas for the time being provided by Section 3 subsection (6) of the Constitution and not the new Local Government Areas created which are not yet operative.”

    It  declared  that “the intention or proposal of the Federal Government to suspend or withhold for any period whatsoever the statutory allocation due and payable to the Lagos State government pursuant to the provisions of Section 162 (5) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 will if carried out be unlawful and contrary to the provisions of the said Constitution” is granted subject to the statutory allocation relating to the 20 Local Government Areas for the time being recognised by Section 3 subsection (6) and Part I of the First Schedule to the Constitution.”

    The court made a consequential order compelling the defendant (Fed Govt) to pay immediately all outstanding statutory allocation due and payable to the Lagos State government pursuant to the provisions of Section 165(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, ”This is granted in so far as it relates to the 20 Local Government Councils for the time being recognised by Section 3 subsection (6) and Part I of the First Schedule to the Constitution.

    It further granted an “order of perpetual injunction restraining the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, or any functionaries or agencies of Executive Branch of the Federal Government from doing anything whatsoever to suspend, withhold, for any period whatsoever or calculated to suspend or withhold any monies due and payable to the Lagos State government pursuant to the provisions of Section 162 (5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” This is granted in so far as it applies to the 20 Local Government councils for the time being recognised by Section 3 subsection (6) and Part I of the First Schedule to the Constitution.”

    Prof Osinbajo led the prosecuting team when the state decided to prosecute former Chief of Army Staff, General Ishaya Bamaiyi; former Chief Security Officer to the late General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza al-Mustapha; his son, Mohammed Abacha; Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Rabo Lawal among others for alleged criminal offences during the military era.

    He was instrumental in the prosecution of the suit brought against British -American Tobacco Nigeria Ltd (BAT), International Tobacco Limited and four others on the ground that  they were allegedly targeting young and underage persons in their advertising and marketing in spite of the obvious knowledge of the adverse effect and severe health implications of their products.

    For eight years while he handled the prosecution, the defence did all they could to frustrate the progress of the case. They preferred to remain in custody than stand trial.

    As the Lagos AG,  it was not all about litigation for Prof Osinbajo, he established the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) in 2003 to provide free legal advice and representation to indigent or disadvantaged citizens of the state in criminal and civil cases.

    He also aided the establishment of the Citizens Mediation Centre (CMC) in Lagos to provide a non-adversarial forum for the mediation and settlement of a wide range of disputes between parties who, on invitation, voluntarily present themselves for mediation at the Centre.

    Many of his former students have vowed for his high intellectual standing, integrity and humility. Joseph Nwobike a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and private legal practitioner; Wahab Shittu, a law lecturer and Richard Okechukwu, an Abuja-based lawyer, are unanimous that the APC took the right decision in nominating their former teacher as its Vice Presidential candidate.

    Nwobike said: “Prof Osinbajo will bring clarity of thoughts laced with deepness and moderation of consideration into the decision making process of the campaign team and government, if his team forms government next year.

    “But whether the foregoing will be translated into any form of electoral capital will become clearer as we gravitate towards the general elections next year. As my former teacher, I cannot but wish him all the best.”

    According to Shittu, Osinbajo made tremendous impact on his students.

    “He was my lecturer in the Law of Evidence, who made tremendous impact on the entire class for his sheer brilliance and mastery of the subject. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) would come to class armed with just a pen and take on the whole class for nearly three hours, making copious references to authorities and cases off hand, with uncommon exactitude that can only be associated with his rating as a genius.

    “I knew that a fresh insight was about being introduced to the political space- an element capable of changing the political equation in our country forever. I have always been excited at the prospects of our politics being dominated by the power of ideas, power of action, and ability of the power of ideas and power of action to be galvanised into concrete policies and laws for the transformation of our country. The entry of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) indeed, represents a positive beginning in the realisation of these ideals.”

    Okechukwu said he was elated when the APC settled for his former lecturer as its candidate. He said he is convinced that the time was now for every Nigerian, who desires change to stand up and support “this man, who is one of the best brains this country has.

    “We hope the electoral umpire will conduct a free and fair election so that the people could be exposed to good leadership. I have no doubt in my mind that Prof Osinbajo will do all of us proud if voted into office. He is, indeed, one of the few good ones who we can trust. You saw what he did in Lagos Judiciary, which is now a reference point to all,” he said

     

     

  • ‘Osinbajo was chosen collectively’

    ‘Osinbajo was chosen collectively’

    The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has debunked insinuations that the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was responsible for Prof. Yemi Osinbajo’s emergence as the party’s vice presidential candidate.

    He said in a statement yesterday that the choice of Osinbajo was collectively taken by the party hierarchy.

    The opposition leader opined that it was more politically expedient to delegate power to a known and proven intellectual and political strategist rather than abdicate presidential responsibilities to four other unelected individuals who now serve as unofficial presidents.

    The statement reads: “The integrity of APC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, is unassailable and it has been proven overtime.

    “To add excellence to the bottom of the ticket in the person of Prof Yemi Osinbajo leaves Nigerians with a clear choice and perhaps with no choice when both parties’ tickets are stacked against each other.

    “The choice of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is indeed a political masterstroke, from perhaps the best political strategist in modern day Nigeria and of our time, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

    “I have known Prof. Osinbajo for over 40 years right from my secondary school days when he was my senior and to my university days when he was one of my law lecturers.

    “A gentleman and academician per excellence, they don’t come any better. I want to specially commend our national leader who exhibited good leadership, dexterity, and political deftness, all in one fell swoop.

    “To those on the other side of the divide who in the absence of anything substantial to argue, cry that General Buhari delegated his responsibility of picking the vice presidential candidate to Tinubu I have this to say.

    “In modern day politics and in a democratic party the selection of a vice presidential candidate is always a collective.

    “But more importantly and in any case I would rather delegate to a known and proven intellectual and political strategist of Asiwaju’s stature than delegate or even as it appears in this case abdicate presidential responsibilities to four other unelected individuals who now serve as president number two, president number three, president number four, president number five as their presidential candidate has done and as corroborated in a former president’s most recent book. Now let the race begin in earnest.”

  • VP: Why Osinbajo isn’t Bakare

    VP: Why Osinbajo isn’t Bakare

    In presidential politics picking a running mate is a fine balancing act. The needs of a candidate: how to play to his strengths, and compensate for his weaknesses, usually determine who he ends up selecting. Those laboring to convince themselves that the All Progressives Congress (APC) flagbearer, General Muhammadu Buhari, made a mistake by picking Professor Yemi Osinbajo, do so without considering these factors.

    To argue that the opposition should have gone for livewire political types like governor, Rotimi Amaechi, Babatunde Fashola or Adams Oshiomhole, forget that people don’t pick deputies who would outshine or be in competition with them. It has to be clear that there’s just one captain on the ship.

    That is why there is usually more emphasis on loyalty and competence than political gravitas in making this sort of decision. In 1999, the then Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, General Olusegun Obasanjo, was confronted with names like Atiku Abubakar, Abubakar Rimi, Bamanga Tukur, Abba Kyari, Jibril Aminu and Adamu Ciroma – all heavyweights as he sought to make his choice.

    As legend has it, Obasanjo sought the counsel of former Minister of Works, Chief Tony Anenih, who famously advised that if he chose Rimi he should ensure that there was a police orderly waiting outside the door at all times as they would quarrel often. However, if he wanted unalloyed loyalty he should go for Atiku. The rest is history.

    All that Buhari needed to do for his choice to be considered correct was name a Christian and Southerner. This balances the ticket nicely given that for months the flirtation with a possible Muslim-Muslim slate had stoked controversy. The candidate, perhaps miffed by the fact that he was being forced to overlook several excellent candidates because of the religion issue, seemed to equivocate in several public statements on the matter.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which had been salivating at the prospect that Buhari would make the fatal mistake of picking a fellow Muslim in spite of being painted a fundamentalist by his foes, must have been sorely disappointed. The former head of state sidestepped the trap. His enemies have now moved to the option of deriding Osinbajo as APC leader, Bola Tinubu’s puppet. That is when they are not dismissing him as a political lightweight who adds nothing to the ticket.

    We have been reminded that this is the second time Buhari would be pairing with a clergyman. In 2011 he ran with popular pastor and activist, Tunde Bakare of The Latter Rain Church in the vain hope that it would give him the much-needed Southern breakthrough. It never happened.

    By settling for Osinbajo, a senior pastor with The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) – Nigeria’s largest Pentecostal congregation, Buhari has triggered inevitable comparisons  with what happened four years ago.

    Those who compare the 2011 and 2015 picks and assume the result would be the same this time ignore the context. Although Bakare was a popular clergyman, he had no political structures to speak of.

    Before the general selected him he was not a member of any party and was not known to associate with politicians. If anything, he was more likely to lampoon them in one of his fiery sermons. It was the height of naivete on the part of Buhari and those who advised him to think that Bakare’s celebrity alone would translate into votes.

    The pastor was a kind of Gani Fawehinmi type of personality who was incredibly well liked in media and activist circles, but whose popularity never translated into political muscle. That was why in spite of his immense popularity on the streets, the late radical lawyer’s National Conscience Party (NCP) was, and remains, largely a fringe player in the polity.

    Osinbajo, on the other hand, is a totally different case. For eight years he served as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice under the then Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu. Back in 2011 when the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) were flirting with some late-hour electoral collaboration, his name featured in the calculations for running mate.

    But the most important thing is that he’s not on the ticket because of his personal political weight but as the face and representative of a political tendency within APC. He is a member of the Tinubu political family and longstanding confidant of the former governor. His presence on the ticket keeps both Tinubu and the South-West caucus in the party engaged and committed to the Buhari challenge.

    I will just mention in passing the fact that he’s related by marriage to the family of the late acclaimed Yoruba leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. While his political influence has waned with his passing many years ago, sentimental attachment to that famous name can only help and not hurt the APC running mate.

    Aside his political and familial connections Osinbajo’s selection disrupts the PDP’s bid to make Jonathan the main beneficiary of the Christian vote. Buhari’s running mate is a pastor in RCCG whose General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has become one of the most influential religious leaders in the land.

    During the last election cycle all presidential candidates of key political parties beat a path to his door to seek his blessings. Many would remember the famous photograph of President Jonathan kneeling with eyes closed while Adeboye prayed over him.

    Knowing the RCCG leader’s reserved and statesmanlike style, don’t expect him to openly take sides – even when one of his spiritual children is involved. In such a huge assembly you’re likely to find people from diverse political persuasions. It would be inappropriate for a father to take sides. Though I would love to be a fly on wall when Adeboye casts his vote for president and VP!

    But even without overt official backing, it would be naïve to think a very senior pastor in this massive congregation contesting for such a high profile position would not influence a chunk of the millions who worship in this church.

    This, again, is another difference between Bakare and Osinbajo. Whereas the former, with all due respect, presides over a one-branch church in Lagos – by design maybe – the latter can potentially tap into a support base with nationwide presence.

    Anyone who then tries to analyse Osinbajo’s impact without factoring in this backdrop is ignorant, mischievous or engaged in a fruitless exercise in self consolation.

  • Osinbajo: New journey begins

    Osinbajo: New journey begins

    Wahab Shittu, a lawyer and former student of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) at the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, extols the qualities of the legal luminary and justifies his choice as the All Progressives Congress (APC) vice presidential candidate for next year’s election.

    Normally, I try to warn myself not to be taken for granted by the actions and shenanigans of the political elite in Nigeria, but the emergence of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) as the running mate to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari on the APC Presidential ticket excites me greatly because of his antecedents as a man of principle/integrity and a first class brain. I am not a card carrying member of any political party, but when the news filtered out that he was being considered amongst an array of equally competent individuals as a possible running mate on the APC Presidential ticket, I knew that a fresh insight was about being introduced to the political space- an element capable of changing the political equation in our country forever. I have always been excited at the prospects of our politics being dominated by the power of ideas, power of action, and ability of the power of ideas and power of action to be galvanised into concrete policies and laws for the transformation of our country. The entry of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) indeed represents a positive beginning in the realisation of these ideals.

    I first came across Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) as a final year law student of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos in 1986. He was my lecturer in the Law of Evidence who made tremendous impact on the entire class for his sheer brilliance and mastery of the subject. Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) would come to class armed with just a pen and take on the whole class for nearly three hours, making copious references to authorities and cases off head, with uncommon exactitude that can only be associated with his rating as a GENIUS. In no time, he won many converts and admirers including my humble self. So much was the impact of this extraordinary Nigerian on my classmates that when it was time for us to choose our supervisors for our final year projects, I had no difficulty zeroing in on the choice of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN). I wanted to tap from the anointing. No doubt Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) is an intellectual of great standing.

    The other attribute of this gentleman that one can readily recall is his integrity and humility in spite of his many accomplishments. He was also perceived as generally accessible by the students who could knock at his door even at short notice and be sure of being given attention and treated as human beings. I can confirm that he left the ivory tower to serve as the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice of Lagos State under the Bola Tinubu administration for 8 years with his integrity at the University intact and unblemished.

    What about the reforms that Prof. Yemi Osibajo (SAN) carried out as the Chief Law Officer in Lagos State during his tenure? Reforms that became a model of distinction for other states in the rest of the federation to emulate, for the enhancement of the quality of administration of justice in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Again, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) made his impact in the Justice sector in a manner that convinced the stakeholders that he is a candidate for higher responsibilities.

    This may not be a coincidence after all. I know on good authority that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) at birth received the blessings of the late sage, Chief. Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory. One of the old pictures adorning the sitting room of the Osinbajos is a picture taken with the Late Chief. Obafemi Awolowo cuddling the young Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) in his arms. This chemistry that he shared with Awolowo owing to the close relationship between the Osinbajos and the Awolowo families of Ikenne was later to be fortified by marriage in that Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is presently married to a granddaughter of the Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo named Oludolapo. Some have argued that the spirit of the Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo may have had a hand in the choice of Osinbajo as the running mate on the APC Presidential ticket. Whether this spirit will catapult him to the seat of power remains to be seen.

     

    Who is Osinbajo?

    According to Who’s Who Legal Nigeria,  “ Yemi Osinbanjo is the senior partner at Simmons Cooper Partners. Yemi is a professor of law and a former attorney-general of Lagos state and commissioner for justice. He is also a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN). Yemi was educated at the University of Lagos, Nigeria (LLB, 1978) and the London School of Economics (LLM, 1980). He was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1979. He has authored several books on civil procedure in Nigerian superior courts, rules of evidence and justice reform.

    Osinbajo has 31 years of litigation experience including significant trial and appellate work. Yemi supervises the commercial litigation group at SimmonsCooper Partners (SCP), a leading commercial litigation and corporate commercial firm in Nigeria. With a multi-jurisdictional competence spanning Nigeria, the United States and the United Kingdom, SCP fuses sound legal counsel with superior advocacy, and personal and responsive service. SCP provides a very comprehensive and integrated range of litigation, transactional, advisory and several support services to a vast array of clients.

    Osinbajo  has conducted very important constitutional and precedential cases before the Nigerian Supreme Court. Some of these include fiscal disputes between the federating units and the federal government; disputes regarding the ownership and control of oil and gas resources; town and physical planning disputes between the federating units and the federal government; an international territorial jurisdictional dispute in the West African sub-regional court; shareholder disputes involving a multinational, private investors and state owned  investment  corporations and energy disputes arising from multinational participation in power projects in Nigeria. In other cases, Osinbajo  has advised and represented clients in a broad range of commercial and corporate issues including securities litigation, investments and divestments, joint ventures, oil block acquisitions, product liability, fiduciary duties of directors, intellectual property, and corporate valuations. He is also involved in statutory and regulatory appraisal representation before the legislature and federal and state agencies.

    While in public office as attorney general, Osinbajo  is credited with undertaking far-reaching significant judicial reform in Lagos State, addressing critical areas as judges’ recruitment, remuneration, training and discipline. In addition, he addressed access to justice for the poor by establishing appropriate institutions in the Office of the Public Defender and the Citizens Mediation Centre. In honour of his contributions to legal reform and the development of law in Nigeria, a compendium of essays on Nigerian constitutional law was compiled. The authors of these essays were senior lawyers and law professors with a foreword provided by a past chief justice of Nigeria.

    Osinbajo  is a member of the International Bar Association and the British Institute of International and Comparative Law and has served in the Nigerian Body of Benchers and the Council for Legal Education of Nigeria. He is currently an independent director of CitiBank Nigeria and an ethics adviser to the board of the Africa Development Bank. He has also served in various capacities within the United Nations Organisation. Yemi speaks frequently at several commercial litigation events locally and internationally. He is actively involved in the pursuit of legal education reform in Nigeria.”

    In the months ahead, and particularly in the build-up to the campaign for the 2015 Presidential elections, Osinbajo  may be missing in action in the courtroom as a brilliant advocate (a factor that is generally acknowledged) but if his well-known advocacy is deployed in enriching the politics of ideas and action, Nigerians should indeed be ready for a swell time. One thing that I can guarantee is that Osinbajo will never be associated with the politics of mudslinging, calumny and abuse in propagating the ideals of his political party. Given the fact that the candidates of the ruling party PDP are also tested gentlemen, one can say for certain that this time around, our elections and the campaign would be dominated by ideas rather than politics of abuse.

  • Legislator, others hail Buhari’s running mate

    Legislator, others hail Buhari’s running mate

    A legislator, Mr. Solomon Adeola, has applauded the candidature of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) as (rtd) General Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Adeola, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Public Account, in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos, said that it was a welcome development as Osinbajo would run an effective and unbiased campaign with Buhari.

    According to NAN, Osinbajo on Wednesday emerged the running mate to Buhari, the APC presidential candidate for the 2015 election.

    “At the end of the day, we have been able to resolve on one particular person, I believe this is good for the party.

    “I commend the leadership of the party and thank Nigerians who have shown interest on this issue for the APC to have come out strong to announce a name,” Adeola said.

    He said that the party had demonstrated that the interest of Nigerians was paramount.

    Mr. Ayodeji Odu, Chairman,Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters, Ekiti State House of Assembly, also said that the choice of Osinbajo was a welcome development.

    Odu, representing Irepodun/Ifelodun Constituency 2, said that it was good balancing as Nigerians had been apprehensive of the Muslim/Muslim ticket they thought the APC was going to present.

    “Prof. Osinbajo is a high ranking pastor and a very good lawyer, a former Attorney-General of Lagos State.

    “He has paid his dues, so, sincerely, I believe it is a very good balancing that will win APC the presidential election,” Odu said.

    The Lagos State chapter of the APC also lauded the emergence of Osinbajo, saying the choice was like putting a round peg in a round hole.

    “Prof. Osibanjo is a deep intellectual, a revered Christian pastor, a revered professor of law, a redoubtable lawyer and a technocrat who complements the stellar records of General Buhari,” it said in a statement signed by Mr Joe Igbokwe, its publicity secretary.

  • How Osinbajo’s choice will affect ticket

    How Osinbajo’s choice will affect ticket

    any factors aided the choice of the legal scholar, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), as the running mate to the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd). But perhaps, the greatest factors are his competence, ability to deputise without undermining or subverting his principal. His integrity, impeccable character and his antecedent as a Nigerian with a national outlook will also add value to the ticket.

    The eminent scholar emerged as the vice presidential flag bearer, not because he is an Ogun State indigene or for being a former Justice Commissioner in Lagos State. His choice as the running mate was on the strength of the convincing argument that the APC standard bearer needed a decent, loyal and hardworking Christian from the Southwest to meet the inevitable and non-negotiable criterion of the ethno-religious divide.

    Yesterday, there was jubilation, not only in the Southwest region, but across the federation, following Osinbajo’s nomination as the running mate. But, in particular, the nomination has implications for the Southwest. Since 2007, the zone appears to have been marginalised. The nomination promptly restored a sense of belonging to the six states. Since the zone is now involved through the joint-ticket, its stakeholders will be more committed to the APC’s agenda for change in 2015. Also, across the 36 states, the elite are more likely to gravitate towards the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket. Both men are tested, trusted and courageous, in terms of devotion to public good.

    At 73, the former military leader is on the soap box. With the 54 year-old Osinbajo beside him, the joint ticket is a blend of old age and youthfulness. Buhari, a committed Muslim from the North, and Osinbajo, a Christian cleric from the Southwest, are now strengthened in their determination to challenge Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the Southsouth, and his deputy, Namadi Sambo, an architect and Muslim from the Northwest, to a political duel. There is parity, as far as ethnic and religious factors, which politicians have successfully incorporated into contemporary politics, are concerned. The line of demarcation is the differential qualities of the characters on the APC and the PDP tickets. Observers believe that Nigerians are likely to take Buhari and Osinbajo seriously.

    Buhari has stood for honour and discipline as a leader. He is simply incorruptible. Osinbajo has been committed to the strengthening of democracy through his judicial reforms when he held the forte as as Attorney-General and Justice Commissioner in Lagos between 1999 and 2007. He is an advocate of the protection of the temple of justice from the vulgarities of political life and societal vices.

    Buhari/Osinbajo represents a rare Muslim/Christian ticket. Jonathan/Sambo is another Christian/Muslim ticket. The battle for Christian votes will be interesting. Apart from legal advocacy, the Church is also Osinbajo’s constituency. The charming and charismatic lawyer is not a nominal Christian. He has a mass appeal in the Christendom as an exemplary preacher of the Word. But, more importantly, the congregation has had cause to emulate him as a doer of the word. Like Buhari, Osinbajo is morally predictable and excellent.

    From 1999, he has been a loyal, dependable and silent labourer in the camp of the progressives. His legal counsels, administrative acumen, uncanny capacity for research, understanding of the workings of government and sense of calmness and balance have been acknowledged by the academia, the bar, the bench, the government and the political class he has served with his best of ability for many decades.

    Contrary to the belief in some quarters that Osinbajo came into limelight, following his appointment as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, he has been around for a longer period. As a university teacher, he has taught promising Nigerians from the six geo-political zones, who still perceive him as a mentor and role model. As a university don at the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, and the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, he was a star professor. His intellectual stature reflects in his teaching endeavours, rigorous research and seminal contributions. The diminutive scholar is a six feet of intelligence. He always avoided controversy like a poison. When LASU was engulfed with protracted crises, which threatened a peaceful atmosphere for teaching and research, he refused to take sides in the divisive and highly destabilising crises. The law teacher retraced his steps to UNILAG. But, he also intensified his prayers for the crisis-ridden institution.

    As a lawyer, Osinbajo was not in the mould of luminaries who indulged in trivialities. He is a thorough prosecution lawyer, who does not indulge in the politicisation of sensitive cases to make political gains out of litigation. He has often shunned financial inducement by unscrupulous elements to subvert the state in litigations involving the government and enemies of progress.

    At his disposal are the power of ideas and imagination, weapons of incisive wit and organisational arsenal, and steady inclination for reforms. Brilliant, professionally assertive, focused and loyal to the people-oriented agenda, Osinbajo had hidden talents, which were unravelled  by his involvement in politics and governance in the past. Many believe that he will add value to the administration, if elected as the vice president.

    In fact, Buhari and Osinbajo share common traits and ideas about how a developing country should be run by visionary leaders. His thoroughness, modesty, aversion for graft, belief in the role of law in human development and passion for people’s welfare and national progress may make the Buhari/Osinbajo pair a perfect match. It is perhaps, a mark of humility that, despite his achievements as a scholar, legal luminary and priest, Osinbajo has kept a low profile. He has led a honourable life. Like Buhari, his public service career has been devoid of scandal.

    The Buhari/Osinbajo ticket will also be captivating to the Yoruba political establishment because of the Awo factor.

    Osinbajo is married to the daughter of the late Mrs. Ayodele Soyode, the lawyer-daughter of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

    If Buhari and Osinbajo are elected, they will be partners in progress. There will be no acrimonious relationship between the president and his deputy. Since they have no skeletons in their cupboards and not in government to enrich themselves, Nigeria will be better for it.

  • Lawyers hail Osinbajo’s choice as running mate

    Lawyers hail Osinbajo’s choice as running mate

    SOME senior advocates yesterday hailed the choice of Prof Yemi Osinbajo as All Progressives Congress (APC) vice-presidential candidate.

    They said his choice has opened a new vista of hope for the country.

    Dr Joseph Nwobike, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who was Prof Osinbajo’s student at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), said the former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice would bring his deep intellectualism to bear on governance.

    He said: “Prof Osinbajo will bring clarity of thoughts laced with deepness and moderation of consideration into the decision making process of the campaign team and government, if his team forms government next year.

    “But whether the foregoing will be translated into any form of electoral capital will become clearer as we gravitate towards the general elections next year.

    “As my former teacher, I cannot but wish him all the best.”

    Professor of Law, Itsay Sagay described the choice of Prof. Osinbajo as a good one.

    He said his combination with that of Buhari would help to straighten the country.

    Sagay said with his adoption, “the country has a lot to look forward to with the combination of Buhari and Osinbajo.

    Sagay said: “One can begin to hope that Nigeria is finally going to start climbing up towards its former glory again.”

    “He is a completely honest and upright man.

     “Osinbajo is a well-known personality and was Attorney-General of Lagos State for eight years.

    “So, in my view, Prof. Osinbajo is a fit and proper person to be vice president of Nigeria and an excellent running mate for Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    “This is because he is a man who has achieved so much in social and political life of Nigeria.

    “He was attorney-general of Lagos State for eight years and won more cases than any other person or any other state against the Federal Government in the struggle to establish the autonomy of Lagos  and to establish true federalism in this country.

    “He is a man of upright integrity and is flawless in his ethics, in his reactions, in his character. Not only that, he is also a religious man, who has maintained a flock for God over a period of time.

    “So, when you look at him from all sides, I regard him as a first-class candidate for the position he is vieing for and when you consider all these qualities with that of Buhari, the upright, anti-corruption, discipline,straight forward man who is going to straighten out this country.”

    Erudite lawyer, Felix Fagbohungbe, (SAN), also hailed the adoption of  Prof. Osinbajo, saying that he was more than qualified for the position.

    Fagbohungbe said Osinbajo will be an asset, not to Buhari alone, but  to all Nigerians.

    He expressed the conviction that  Osinbajo would have a lot of electoral value that would enhance the chance of his party in the next election.

    Fagbohuingbe said:  ”He is highly qualified for the position. Apart from being an intellectual, his profile as former attorney-general of Lagos State is rich enough and is a testimony of his ability to merit that position.

    “As attorney-general, he performed wonders. He was an excellent person, matured and understands the terrain very well.

    “He may not be a partisan politician but understands politics more than the politicians.”

    Also yesterday, a federal lawmaker represnting the Ikeja Federal Constituency, Abiodun Faleke, said  the choice of the former commissioner will be appreciated by Nigerians.

    Faleke said: “Osinbajo is a strong personality. He is simple but very purposeful and he is a loyal party man.”