Former Special Adviser on Political Matters to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Babafemi Ojudu, has disclosed how he and other allies convinced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to decline an offer to serve as Minister of Finance under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
Speaking on State Affairs, a podcast hosted by Edmund Obilo, Ojudu revealed that accepting the ministerial position would have jeopardized Tinubu’s political future, as he was then the leader of the Action Congress (AC).
“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.”
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Reacting immediately, Ojudu cautioned Tinubu about the potential consequences of such a move, citing the fate of Bola Ige, a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice who was assassinated under mysterious circumstances.
“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,’” Ojudu recalled.
He added that Rauf Aregbesola, a close ally and former governor of Osun State, supported his stance. “Rauf walked in and said, ‘Femi is right; that is not a job to take.”
Despite dissenting opinions, including one from a businessman present, Ojudu and Aregbesola held firm. “This is about Tinubu’s long-term political survival. Nine months down the line, they could arrest him, try him, and finish him off—just as they did to Bola Ige,” Ojudu argued.
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Ojudu also responded to allegations of betrayal during the 2023 presidential election, where he supported former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo over Tinubu for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket.
He dismissed suggestions of personal animosity, emphasizing that their differing paths were rooted in visions for Nigeria.
“We cannot quarrel. It is about our vision taking different routes,” he said. Ojudu added that loyalty to friendship ranked lower than his commitment to the nation. “For me, loyalty to friendship is on a lesser scale than sacrifice for the country.”
He revealed that his attendance at the wedding of Bayo Onanuga’s daughter surprised some observers. “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.’”
The revelation sheds light on the intricate political maneuvers that shaped Tinubu’s journey to becoming Nigeria’s president and highlights Ojudu’s role in preserving Tinubu’s political legacy.