The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday said he did not ‘expect to win the just-concluded APC’s presidential primary.
Mr Tinubu also said he held no grudge against members of his party who worked against his candidature.
Mr Tinubu, in his victory speech after the APC presidential primary in Abuja, also thanked all the seven aspirants who stepped down for him during the primary.
Tinubu defeated 13 other aspirants to win the primary.
He secured 1,271 votes of APC delegates to emerge as the party’s flag bearer. His closest challenger, ex-minister Rotimi Amaechi scored 316 votes. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo came third in the primary with 235 votes.
Tinubu, while declaring his intention to run for the presidency of Nigeria in January, said it has always been his lifetime ambition.
He said this at the State House shortly after visiting President Muhammadu Buhari. He was also the first of the aspirants to officially make public his intention to run.
Tinubu was almost muscled out of the race by stiff opposition to his aspiration by other power blocs in the party.
Although, an intra-party war between some politicians and businessmen close to President Muhammadu Buhari, the so-called ‘Aso Rock cabal,’ and some northern governors over the control of Nigeria’s political lever had almost cost the party’s national leader his aspiration.
His ambition also received opposition from some of his erstwhile associates including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who polled 235 votes.
His recent outburst in Abeokuta, Ogun State, the home state of Mr Osinbajo, was also rumoured to have further widened the existing gap between him and the president.
The APC flag bearer had publicly claimed to have helped to secure victory for the president, even as he boasted to have helped many political leaders in the country.
He specifically mentioned Osinbajo and the governor of the state, Dapo Abiodun, insisting that he stood by the latter when he was rejected by the then outgoing governor of the state, Ibikunle Amosun.
