Former presidential aide Babafemi Ojudu has revealed that he and others prevailed on President Bola Tinubu to reject an offer to become Minister of Finance under the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.
Ojudu made the disclosure during a recent appearance on the State Affairs podcast hosted by Edmund Obilo.
He shared that he and other allies persuaded Tinubu to turn down the offer because accepting the role would have carried significant political risks for him as the leader of the Action Congress.
“Tinubu called me one day and said, ‘Congratulations to me.’ I asked, ‘Congratulations for what?’ He then told me that former President Yar’Adua had called him to join his government of unity as Minister of Finance.
“I said, ‘You are in Action Congress. Are you not a student of history? Do you not see what happened to Bola Ige? You are digging your political grave if you accept that type of job,’” Ojudu said.
Ujudu further recounted how Tinubu’s close ally Rauf Aregbesola supported him and joined in persuading the president.
“Rauf walked in and said, ‘Femi is right; that is not a job to take.
“One businessman walked in and said, ‘You guys are too radical. This thing will benefit everyone.’ But I insisted, ‘No, we are not looking for this type of benefit. We are looking for his political survival.
“He is our leader. Our dream for him is bigger than him becoming a minister in Yar’Adua’s government. Nine months down the line, they would arrest him, try him, and finish him off—the way they did to Bola Ige,” Ojudu added.
