A petition seeking to compel Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to run for president has failed to garner 500 signatures in 24 hours.

The petition on Change.org, titled: “Encourage VP, Yemi Osinbajo to RUN FOR PRESIDENT of Nigeria in 2023!,” was started by Obiyo Onyemachi. It urged Nigerians to add their voices in order for it to be featured on the website’s recommendations page.

“In 2023, Nigeria will be conducting its most consequential elections yet. The elections will be defined by clear issues: coexistence, security, the economy and human development,” it reads in the petition’s description box. “The leader who emerges in 2023 will have challenges like no other in the history of our nation. In 2023, therefore, we will also be choosing what kind of person and generation to lead the country into a very challenging future.”

This petition. which finally passed the 500-signature mark after 26 hours and currently had 514 signatures as of the time of filing this report, marks the latest show of support for Mr Osinbajo’s presidential aspirations. A similar petition launched by a group called Concerned Citizens of Nigeria has yet to hit 5000 signatures, despite being launched four weeks ago. 

In January, Peoples Gazette reported that Mr Osinbajo had informed President Muhammadu Buhari of his intention to run for president in 2023. This move by the vice president saw the birth of multiple support groups and endorsements by the political elite. 

Philip Shuaibu, Edo’s deputy governor, had publicly praised Mr Osinbajo in January.

“You have Edo (State), you have us on your side. In 2023, we the young men will mobilize ourselves and take our destiny in our hands by the grace of God, we will have our own as the President of Nigeria,” Mr Shuaibu said. 

Mr Osinbajo has continued to delay public announcement of his ambition, fueling speculation he could be afraid of challenging Bola Tinubu, his political godfather who had already declared an interest and is now seen as the front runner for the ruling APC’s presidential ticket.