Jonathan ‘meets’ Osinbajo at Redemption Camp

On Friday night when President Goodluck Jonathan worshiped at the monthly Holy Ghost Night at Redemption Camp, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway, he spared a hearty moment of camaraderie for Yemi Osinbajo, a pastor at the church who is also the running mate to Muhammadu Buhari, his opponent at the 2015 presidential election.

Osinbajo has recently been a vocal critic of his administration.

In January 2015, he accused the federal government of “lacking the political will to fight corruption”, saying all laws and institution – save the will – were in place to defeat the menace.

Earlier in December 2014, he alleged that the federal government’s Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) had been “abused by politicians from different states” and was being used as an avenue to reward their cronies.

“The SURE-P budget is a budget that can be abused easily and it has been abused. Politicians from different states now use it as an avenue to give handouts to their friends and cronies,” he said.

“The stated objectives of SURE P were to alleviate the sufferings and difficulties that people experience but that has not been achieved and you and I are witnesses to this fact. I don’t know anyone who has benefited from SURE-P. Do you know anyone?”

The same month, he accused Jonathan’s administration of politicising the war against Boko Haram and mismanaging defence funds, saying: “The current administration has politicised Boko Haram. The corruption around the defence funds has created a situation where soldiers are not well-equipped/motivated.”

Despite Jonathan’s close relationship with Enoch Adeboye, general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Osinbajo recently revealed that he accepted the offer to become Buhari’s running mate only after receiving the permission of Adeboye, his spiritual father.

Asked on a Channels TV programme if he got Adeboye’s consent on his bid, he said: “Of course. I certainly will not do anything without seeking the consent of Pastor E. A. Adeboye. “I discussed with him in full.”

On Friday night, Jonathan had to exchange pleasantries with senior pastors of the church lined up on a row, and Osinbajo, his political adversary’s running mate, was one of them.

Both men smiled warmly in a manner that belied the venom with which the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All progressives Congress (APC) have been prosecuting their 2015 presidential campaign rallies.