Sources: Osinbajo to declare presidential bid on Monday

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is set to declare his intention to contest the presidency in the 2023 general election, TheCable understands.

The development comes after months of speculations over whether he would run for president.

Over the past months, various interest groups have launched campaigns asking Osinbajo to contest the presidency.

But as of February 2022, Laolu Akande, spokesman to the vice-president, had said such speculations should be “ignored” as his principal was yet to take a a decision on contesting the presidency in 2023.

According to sources close to Osinbajo’s camp, an “Iftar meeting” with stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC), which will be hosted by the vice-president, is expected to hold on Sunday night.

Governors elected on the platform of the APC are said to have started arriving Osinbajo’s official residence, where the meeting is scheduled to hold.

At the meeting, Osinbajo is expected to inform the governors of his decision to run for president on the platform of the APC.

A source added that the vice-president will make an official declaration to the general public “first thing tomorrow morning”.

With the expected announcement on Monday, Osinbajo will be gunning for the APC ticket against presidential hopefuls including Bola Tinubu, former Lagos governor; Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi; and Rochas Okorocha, senator representing Imo west.