On Saturday, renowned politicians from all across Nigeria attended the funeral of Lady Evangelist Grace Akeredolu, the mother of Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, in the historic village of Owo in the Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Rivals once again reunited for the burial of the nonagenarian matriarch of the Akeredolu clan, who passed away on September 15, 2022, and temporarily put politics aside to enjoy lighthearted laughing and spirited conversation.
Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for president, met Yemi Osinbajo, one of his rivals in the party’s primary in June, during the ceremony held at the St Andrews Anglican Church in Owo.
Governors Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), and Kayode Fayemi, the former governor of Ekiti State, were all present at the church ceremony to pay their respects to the dead. All three are members of the APC family in the South-West.
As political allies, Tinubu and Osinbajo have a long relationship.
Between 1999 and 2007, Osinbajo held the positions of Lagos State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice under Tinubu.
After Muhammadu Buhari, a former military leader, was elected president in 2015 on the platform of the APC—which Tinubu helped found—Osinbajo was later named vice president.
Osinbajo was dropped off the APC Presidential Campaign Council’s roster in September, but the spokesperson for the Council, Festus Keyamo, said the President “specifically instructed” that he be kept out so that he could focus on the nation’s government.
In addition to Osinbajo, other well-known party members who were vehemently opposed to the APC same-faith ticket include former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal and former Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara.
After overcoming the first obstacle, 70-year-old Tinubu faces a new one in February. The former governor has faced harsh criticism for selecting a fellow Muslim, Kashim Shettima, as his running partner. Shettima and the ex-governor formed an alliance with northern governors to improve the ex-chances governor’s in the north, which enjoys a strong voting base.
At a survey that many experts have referred to as a “three-horse race,” Tinubu is vying for the top position in Aso Rock in 2023 with leading competitors Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).
