2019: I have total confidence in Osinbajo being Buhari’s running mate - Tinubu

- The national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has reacted to speculations that he is being touted to take over from VP Yemi Osinbajo as Buhari’s running mate in 2019

- Tinubu referred to the speculation which was reported by The Sun newspaper as being baseless, and stated that he had full confidence in Osinbajo

- The APC national leader stated that Osinbajo had handled the affairs of the nation excellently so far, and had shown that he is a loyal deputy to the president

- Tinubu stressed that for him, political ambition will never triumph over patriotic conviction

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has debunked speculations that he may be chosen to run as President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate in 2019, Premium Times reports.

In a statement released by his media office in Lagos, Tinubu stated that the false report which was published by The Sun newspaper, was a “classic case of utterly and irredeemably-fake news

LETSKNOW gathers that Tinubu stated that he and the people of the South-west “have absolute confidence and are exceedingly proud of the excellent job Professor Osinbajo is doing as Vice President of Nigeria.”

The statement read: “The attention of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Media Office has been drawn to the front page lead story of The SUN newspaper of yesterday, December 13, 2017, which sensationally and ridiculously reported that President Muhammadu Buhari may pick Asiwaju Tinubu as his running mate for the 2019 election.

“This is a classic case of utterly and irredeemably fake news.

“There is no empirical or logical basis for this mischievously speculative story. Is it even conceivable, as the story recklessly insinuates, that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would be considering returning to full church work rather than run with his boss, President Buhari for a second term if the latter so decides without as much as discussing such a sensitive issue with his party and with Asiwaju Tinubu?

“In any case, is this story not entirely unwarranted and indefensible as the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket has an electoral mandate of four years out of which it has spent only over two years and a half years?

“This is clearly an attempt to distract the APC federal government from the yeoman’s job it has been doing in rescuing the country from the deep rooted socio-economic, political, security and moral mess inherited from the PDP’s 16 years misrule of Nigeria, instigate crisis within the party, stoke dangerous embers of religious disaffection within the party and the country generally and stem the remarkable progress being made in the reinvention and revitalization of Nigeria.

“The SUN newspaper, through this kind of story, does great discredit to Nigerian journalism, which has made considerable strides towards greater professionalism and excellence over the years.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Asiwaju Tinubu has absolute confidence and faith in both President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo who have been working hard harmoniously in offering inspirational leadership to Nigeria at a most critical period in her history.

“The hemorrhaging of the national economy through the wanton and unprecedented corruption that obtained before the advent of the APC federal government has been stanched.

“There is greater sanity, accountability and transparency in the management of the country’s finances. The Boko Haram insurgency has been substantially contained. We should not allow ourselves to be derailed from the job we are effectively undertaking in fulfilling our campaign promises anchored on the tripod of containing insecurity, taming the scourge of corruption and resuscitating the economy.

“The Buhari and Osinbajo-led federal government is deftly steering the country out of an economic recession that was the result of the ineptness of the PDP years of the locusts.

“Asiwaju Tin