The All Progressives Congress National Leader, Bola Tinubu was once prosecuted by late human rights lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi over certificate forgery during his first tenure as governor between 1999 and 2003, but was ‘saved’ by the brilliance and firmness of former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (the now Vice President).
Tinubu, in 2012, at the launching of a book, “Contemporary issues in Nigerian constitutional law,” a series of essays compiled in honour of Osinbajo, said that but for Osinbajo, his political career would have nosedived.
According to Tinubu: “The capability and firmness of Osinbajo in my time of travail made me to triumph against every plan by my detractors to destroy my image and career.”
Tinubu said that he would have been nailed for the offence he did not commit if Osinbajo was not available to defend him.
“Osinbajo brought his knowledge of constitutional law and stood by me even at the time when some of my commissioners were planning to resign from the cabinet. He indulged my politics and allowed it to flourish in the face of detractors,” he said.
He added that Osinbajo was the best decision he ever made in his political career, describing him as the biggest weapon in his political armoury.
“Osinbajo encouraged me to create 37 Local Council Development Areas with his astounding knowledge of constitutional law. I could challenge the Federal Government because of the capability of the professor of law,” Tinubu said.