Tinubu, Oyegun shake hands but avoid each other at Buhari’s book launch

Bola Tinubu, former governor of Lagos state, and John Oyegun, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), set aside their differences on Tuesday and shook hands during the launch of a book written in honour of President Muhammadu Buhari.

But as the event, which held at the International Conference Center (ICC), Abuja, progressed, dignitaries, including Oyegun and Tinubu, who sat beside one another tactically avoided each other.

When they were invited to the podium for the presentation of the book, both men still did not come together.

With Oyegun on the far left, at least five persons separated him from Tinubu.

At the end of the presentation, the chairman walked past Tinubu before exchanging handshakes with other guests, including Yakubu Gowon, former head of state.

Oyegun and Tinubu fell out after the governorship primary election of the APC in Ondo state.

While the appeal committee of the party ordered an annulment of the exercise on grounds of alleged irregularities, the national working committee (NWC) led by Oyegun overruled the panel.

The NWC subsequently submitted the name of Rotimi Akeredolu, who emerged in the primary, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the APC candidate for the Ondo election.

Tinubu had described Oyegun’s action as anti-democratic, calling on him to step down.

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar also frowned at Oyegun’s action, with Timi Frank, deputy national publicity secretary of the APC, mounting pressure on the chairman to quit office.