Ex-President, Olusegun Obasanjo wants the current President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina should contest for 2023 election, a source has said.

The source recently made the confirmation to the press, and Nigerians have been reacting.

According to the source, it was the reconciliation of the two men that actually took Obasanjo to the Caliphate last week, while he was in the state to commission some projects completed by the state government.

He added that OBJ’s backing for the AfDB President is predicated on his sound educational, economic and leadership pedigree that he believes can guarantee him easy victory over other recycled politicians with some baggage.

His words, “Last week Baba was in Sokoto under the guise of flagging off some projects completed by Tambuwal but the real intention was to reconcile Governor Aminu Tambuwal with Eng. Rabiu Kwankwaso ahead of 2023 because two of them, who are his political sons, are keen on the presidency.”

“But it is also clear that Baba is trying hard to put up structures for another political son of his, that is the current African Development Bank President, Adesina, under the Peoples Democratic Party since it is clear to him that the North would not support his candidates for the posts.”

“It is obvious to him that the reconciliation that the former leader is pushing is not in the interest of the north and he might jettison his current party and push for the formation of a hybrid party that will weaken both the PDP and the APC and strengthen the new one with a view to winning the presidency in two years’ time.”

“Baba’s backing for the AfDB President is predicated on his sound educational, economic and leadership pedigree that he believes can guarantee him easy victory over other recycled politicians with some baggage.”

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Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Aremu Obasanjo, GCFR, born 5 March 1937 is a Nigerian military and political leader who served as military head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007. Ideologically a Nigerian nationalist, he was a member of the People’s Democratic Party.

Matthew Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo was born in the village of Ibogun-Olaogun in southwest Nigeria. His later passport gave his date of birth as 5 March 1937, although this was an estimate, and there are no records of Obasanjo’s birthdate from the time itself.

His father was Amos Adigun Obaluayesanjo “Obasanjo” Bankole and his mother was Bernice Ashabi Bankole. He was the first of nine children; only he and a sister (Adunni Oluwole Obasanjo) survived childhood. He was born to the Owu branch of the Yoruba people. The church in the village was part of a mission set up by the U.S. Southern Baptist Church and Obasanjo was raised Baptist.

His village also contained Muslims and his sister would later convert to Islam on marrying a Muslim man.