It is no more news that Presidential hopeful, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has jetted out to London, United Kingdom, a development that has elicited contrary views from within and outside, as to the real reason(s) the political juggernaut went abroad.
With this development, the social media have been awash with varied reports of Tinubu’s travel to London, with some saying he has gone to rest, while others are insinuating that he went to visit his family. Some are even thinking that Tinubu might be sick after all, and has gone for medical treatment abroad. But his spokesman, Tunde Rahman, has doused the tension, saying the Asiwaju travelled abroad for consultations over his presidential interest. Rahman tweeted: “He, Asíwájú Tinubu is engaged in meetings and consultations over his presidential interest. Some of these consultations are holding abroad; so, he is in the UK at present, this is why!” He said the former governor of Lagos State is expected back into the country next week.
Before he left for the UK, Tinubu visited Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Chief Whip of the Senate, at his residence in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT,) where they had a closed-door meeting, the details of which were not made known to the public, but the meeting couldn’t have been far from the APC’s chieftain’s presidential ambition. The former Lagos State governor, also visited Oyo state over the deaths of Oba Jimoh Oyewumi, the Soun of Ogbomoso; Oba Saliu Adetunji, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, and Adebayo Alao-Akala, a former governor of Oyo State. He also met with Seyi Makinde, the state governor, in Ibadan, the capital city. On January 20, he also paid a visit to Minna, Niger state capital, to consult with General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, (IBB), former military president and head of state, and to particularly “receive his prayers.” Tinubu was, however, absent at the formal inauguration of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, (ABAT,) movement’s working committees in Lagos on Thursday, a day before he traveled to London. Speaking during the event, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State governor, described the APC chieftain as the most qualified successor to Buhari, and a marketable choice for the 2023 presidency. Earlier in the month, Tinubu had visited President Muhammadu Buhari at Aso Rock, where he formally announced his intention to contest for the 2023 presidency. The former governor of Lagos described his bid to vie for the presidency in the next elections as a life-long ambition.
