What if Osinbajo is Buhari's successor by Arogbonlo Israel - 2023

Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, many Nigerians have been wondering who the next president would be. 

As it stands, it is a political puzzle that seems difficult to unravel considering the events in recent times.

While many social commentators are of the opinion that the next president should be zoned to the southern part of Nigeria, others believe the decision of who takes the baton should solely be based on competency (the most credible to lead).

But the question remains, who is the credible Nigerian to lead the most populous black nation come 2023?

Against the backdrop of who leads whom, there have also been permutations and several schools of thought following the comment of President Muhammadu Buhari during his most recent interview with Channels TV, where he was asked who would be his successor. Intelligently, Mr. President answered: “No, I will not tell you, because he may be eliminated if I mention his name." It is logical to say, Mr. President concealed the identity of his anointed candidate for the safety of such a person.

The big question Several questions as to who takes over from Buhari have been asked by political analysts and writers of reasoning, but there is still obscurity in terms of who the anointed candidate is definitely, leaving us with the big question, who is Buhari's successor? Already, several presidential aspirants have emerged in the APC family.

These include governor of Ebonyi state, David Umahi; his counterpart, governor of Cross River, Ben Ayade; former governor of Abia, Orji Uzor Kalu; former governor of Lagos and APC chieftain, Bola Tinubu; and more who are still waiting for the green light to join the race.

Among the aforementioned, Tinubu stands as the most viable candidate to take over from Buhari considering his political antecedents and role in the ruling APC. 

However, the battle looks like a two-horse race between him (Tinubu) and his fondly called "loyalist" or put succinctly "recommended candidate." You may have to find who is being referred to in this stance.