Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has claimed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu once wanted his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to be considered as former President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate ahead of the 2015 presidential election.
Atiku made the claim during a Hausa-language interview while recounting the political negotiations that preceded the election and the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to the former vice president, he supported Buhari’s presidential bid on the condition that he would have a Christian running mate.
Atiku said Tinubu initially sought the vice-presidential slot for himself but, amid concerns over a Muslim-Muslim ticket, allegedly proposed that his wife, Oluremi, who is a Christian, be selected instead.
“I only supported Muhammadu Buhari on the condition that he runs with a Christian running mate. In the build-up to the 2015 general elections, Bola Ahmed Tinubu wanted to become Buhari’s running mate, but because of the Muslim-Muslim ticket concerns, which was an idea I also frowned at, Tinubu then insisted that his wife be made the running mate since she’s a Christian,” he said.
Atiku said Tinubu was subsequently advised to nominate another Christian ally, leading to the emergence of Professor Yemi Osinbajo as Buhari’s running mate.
“Tinubu was then told to bring in one of his allies, in the person of Yemi Osinbajo, and that was how Muhammadu Buhari ran alongside Yemi as his vice president,” he added.
The claim adds a new dimension to the political manoeuvring surrounding the APC’s first presidential ticket.
Tinubu, then a national leader of the APC and one of the key figures behind the party’s formation, had been widely reported to have sought the vice-presidential slot before ultimately backing Osinbajo.
The APC eventually presented Buhari and Osinbajo as its presidential and vice-presidential candidates in the 2015 election, defeating the incumbent Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Goodluck Jonathan.
Atiku’s latest account, however, shifts attention to an alleged earlier proposal involving Oluremi Tinubu and offers a different perspective on the behind-the-scenes negotiations that shaped Buhari’s 2015 running mate.
