The Southwest Youth Congress (SYC) has sparked controversy by declaring that all the attacks on the country’s Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, are mere distractions as nothing can stop him from becoming the country’s President in 2023.

The Ondo State-based group made the declaration yesterday, Thursday, September 26, 2019 during a procession for Osinbajo’s candidacy in Akure, the state capital.

Bamise Akintomide, who led the state chapter of SYC, alleged that “desperate cabals” are responsible for the “campaign of calumny” against Osinbajo to stop the presidency from moving to the South-West.

He further said: “While we are confident that the perceived threat against Professor Osinbajo bears the imprints of a desperate cabal’s wicked strategy for relevance, sadly they have also enlisted the support of agents of calumny of an equally desperate opposition,” he said.

“It is our considered opinion that such a campaign of calumny against a decent character like the Vice-President will not hold water in the eyes of right-thinking Nigerians.

“We do know that the orchestrated allegations against Professor Osinbajo, especially the baseless accusation of misusing a non-existent 90 billion naira campaign fund, are all targeted at achieving the singular objective of dissuading the vice president from considering the idea of running for the presidency in 2023.

“While Mr Vice President has not told anyone that he will be running for office in 2023, the South West Youth Congress will like to emphasize that the leadership shown by Professor Osinbajo over the period he has worked alongside President Muhammadu Buhari to pilot the affairs of this country have proven his capacity for effective and result-driven governance, and it is our hope and desire that come 2023 he is on the ballot to run for the highest office in the land.

“If he decides to contest, it’s our belief that he is immensely qualified and therefore he has our support and deserves the support of all well-meaning Nigerians.

“While it’s true that there is no amount of gimmicks or lies that can stop Professor Osinbajo from becoming Nigeria’s president if God so wills.”

However, a group of lawyers under the aegis of Concerned Democratic Lawyers (CDL) have discredited the street march by SYC, describing it as another gimmick by known highly placed South West politicians to create needless suspicion and disaffection between the Vice President and President Muhammadu Buhari.

The National Coordinator of CDL, Barrister Charles Abudu, said that the march by SYC was actually sponsored by two South West members of the nation’s cabal in their sole quest to further fan the embers of discontent within the presidency.

Abudu further said there should have been no need for the street march in Akure to drum any support for the Vice President since the accusations against him is already being handled decently.

His words: “It is evident that the fifth columnists are prepared to go to any length in their bid to discredit Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. One wonders why any sponsored faceless group would decide to march on the streets of Akure when the man in the eye of the storm has offered to willingly waive his constitutional immunity just to prove his innocence. It nonetheless smack of suspicion that some enemies of the Vice President are crying more than the bereaved.”

Abudu also expressed disappointment with the 2023 presidential banner of Osinbajo that was displayed by rented members of SYC during their sponsored march in Akure.

“Any discerning person could easily decipher the ill motive of those rooting for Prof Osinbajo to take over from President Buhari in 2023 when the hardworking Vice President has no such ambition. But by the grace of God, all evil plans against Prof. Yemi Osinbajo will be frustrated by the living God,” added Abudu.

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