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Twenty–four hours to the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has come under fire for travelling in presidential jet during his meet-the-delegates tour nationwide.

Criticisms of Osinbajo came as other presidential aspirants, both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC), used chartered planes for their trips, including Senate President and APC presidential aspirant, Ahmad Lawan, who also has official plane.

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The condemnation of Osinbajo peaked after the presidential jet, Boeing 727-2N6 with registration no. 5N-FGN aircraft, was deployed to Maiduguri, Borno State, where the vice president met delegates.

Commenting on Osinbajo’s use of presidential jet for political trips, Mallam Maida Bello said it was morally wrong.

According to him, government planes attached to officials are meant for official trips.

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He said political party events or political campaigns are not classified as official trips.

Bello said inasmuch as Osinbajo is the vice president, his trips to meet delegates, in relation to his presidential ambition was personal and should not be financed with government’s funds.

Supporting this view, Kayode Oshinowo said although it is difficult to separate official and private trips of a vice president, “purely political mobilisation for personally ambition is not official.”

He said the vice president ought to have hired a private jet for his political consultations.

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He applauded Senate President for opting to use private jets donated to him by two senators from the North and South.

“I am aware that the Senate President travelled with jets donated to him by his friends and fellow senators instead of the official plane attached to his office, during his political trips relating to his quest for the presidency. That’s what it should be,” he said.

Another commentor said public officials should separate public life from private life.

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He said that the reported surcharge of former Peresident Shehu Shagari in the First Republic, when he worked with ex-late Prime Minister of Nigeria, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa as a young man and authorised use of presidential jet to take the PM’s mother from Lagos to Kaduna should be a model of public officers.

Some people have, however, said Osinbajo did nothing wrong.

According to one of them, there is nothing wrong with the vice president travelling in an official plane to campaigns.

He said not long ago, former United States President, Donald Trump, used presidential plane when he campaigned for reelection.

“We are witnesses to the fact that President Trump did not use chartered planes during his reelection campaign. He used the president’s official plane. Whether going for political campaign of wedding, he was US president and he used the paraphernalia of office.”

(Sun)