Presidency says Osinbajo not outperforming Buhari

The presidency on Monday said it was thoughtless for anyone to compare the performance of President Muhammadu Buhari and that of Acting President Yemi Osinbajo as they were both elected on a joint ticket.

It added that the Acting President does not act in isolation but still consults with the President on major issues of national importance. Speaking to journalists at the State House Abuja, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Babafemi Ojudu, said what Nigerians are seeing is the maturity of government policies implemented earlier.

He was speaking in response to encomiums poured out on Osinbajo in relation to his performance as acting president. Most have said he has outperformed President Buhari within this period.

“The same people who said we never had economic team, no policy, nothing are the ones saying this. “It is now that the policies we are implementing are maturing and they

are seeing the result. It is not a question of one person being better than the other person.

“There is nothing that has been done since the Vice-President started acting that is not something that started far back in the past. A good example is the Niger Delta initiative.

“The President called the Vice-President and said ‘I am giving you the mandate, go into the Niger Delta and meet with everyone who is a

stakeholder, all the communities, talk to the militants and make sure you solve this problem for the benefits of Nigerians.’

“We are losing 1.2 million barrels of oil per day, all the gas pipelines powering the turbines are being blown up. And the President has said unless and until we resolve this problem we will not get out of recession. The VP took up the mandate and went to the Niger Delta, it is the initiative of Mr. President not that of the Vice-President.

“These are mischief makers, those who do not wish this country well, who are always promoting crisis, who will not allow the people to benefit from this democracy. They are the ones promoting this kind of divisive tendencies” the presidential aide said.