Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has dismissed speculations on social media that he has met with President Muhammadu Buhari to get his blessings for the 2023 presidency.
Osinbanjo urged Nigerians to ignore the speculations, describing the reports as “fake news”
The senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, (Office of the Vice President) Laolu Akande, told BusinessDay on Tuesday that such media reports on the Vice President’s purported declaration are “baseless”
The media has recently been awash with several reports that Osinbajo has begun secret moves to actualize his 2023 presidential ambitions.
The Vice President was reported to have informed President Muhammadu Buhari of his intention to run for the office of the president in 2023, allegedly, on new year’s day.
Read also: Okonjo-Iweala debunks rumour of plans to run for 2023 presidency
But Akande, while reacting to the news described the report as “fake”, adding that “there is no basis for these speculations since the Vice President has not indicated interest in Presidency in 2023”
Akande, while urging the media to be circumspect about such stories and speculations, stated that “they are normal at a time like this. Do not be surprised that more of these stories will continue to come”
He also insisted that the “President did not meet with the Vice President on new year day.”
“If there is anything new on the Vice President and 2023 Presidency, we will make it public and the media will be the first to know”
An online media had reported that “Vice President Osinbajo had met with President Muhammadu Buhari on the new year day, to inform him of his intention to run for president in 2023.
The report indicated that the Vice President had gone to meet with the President to seek the “blessing of his principal who did not make immediate commitments”
