The Convener of The Alternative, Segun Sowunmi, has recounted how President Bola Tinubu managed his personal disappointment to help preserve the political coalition that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2015 presidential election.
Sowunmi made the disclosure during an interview with Enitan Bello while reflecting on the formation of the APC and the political calculations that preceded the 2015 election.
According to him, the APC coalition succeeded partly because Tinubu was able to put aside his personal ambition for the broader interests of the alliance.
Sowunmi argued that the coalition could have collapsed if Tinubu had insisted on making his own political ambition the centre of the arrangement.
He recalled that after the coalition settled on former military Head of State, Muhammadu Buhari, as its presidential candidate, Tinubu was among those considered for the vice-presidential position.
However, concerns over presenting a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket became a major issue within the party. Buhari eventually selected Yemi Osinbajo as his running mate, resulting in a Muslim-Christian ticket for the 2015 election. Contemporary accounts and later recollections differ over the precise extent of Tinubu’s opposition to the choice, although his role in the ticket negotiations has been widely discussed.
Sowunmi said Tinubu’s ability to absorb the disappointment without allowing it to destroy the coalition was significant to the alliance’s survival.
He said:
“Do you know that one of the reasons why that APC coalition worked is because for whatever reason, Bola was able to manage his own hurt.
“He wanted to be vice. They said after they had achieved the coalition, and they had achieved that Muhammadu Buhari was going to be the candidate. Now let us put his name, they came and said they cannot do Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“Do you know how excruciatingly painful that would be? Did you ever see him start getting angry, destroying the party? Do you know what it takes for him to just press it down for the greater good?”
Sowunmi Recalls Tinubu’s Role In Osinbajo’s Emergence
Sowunmi also highlighted Tinubu’s relationship with Yemi Osinbajo, who was eventually selected as Buhari’s running mate.
He described the development as another example of the compromises involved in building and sustaining a political institution.
Sowunmi said Tinubu played a role in bringing Osinbajo into the political arrangement, despite initially being considered for the vice-presidential slot himself.
He added:
“Do you know what it takes for him to go and bring Osinbajo who’s just busy somewhere doing his only Jesus can save and suddenly you are vice president? Such compromises is part of the price of building an institution that can last.”
The APC was formed in 2013 through the merger of major opposition parties, including the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), ahead of the 2015 elections. The party subsequently won the presidential election with Buhari defeating incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan.
The Buhari-Osinbajo ticket was formally presented in December 2014, with the religiously balanced ticket becoming a significant feature of the APC’s 2015 campaign.