Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said he has not declared interest for the 2023 presidential contest, noting that permutations around the race are a distraction.
Speaking through his spokesman, Laolu Akande said in a statement on Monday in Abuja that the Office of the Vice President had no connection with an online attempt to rally support for his principal.
“The attention of the Office of the Vice President has been drawn to a website: supportosinbajo.ng that is calling on Nigerians to join a volunteer group mobilising support for Osinbajo ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
“Details of this website and the solicitation of the group are currently trending on WhatsApp with a suggestion that Osinbajo has “quietly” declared interest in the 2023 election.
“The Office of the Vice President is not in any way connected to this website or the group behind it and considers such an enterprise an unnecessary distraction.
“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.
“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.’’
He had served as attorney general and Commissioner for Justice in the administration of former Lagos state governor, Bola Tinubu, who is reputed to be his political ally before becoming running mate to President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.
