Some Nigerians have mocked their fellow citizens for comparing Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to Vice President Mike Pence of the US over his role to certify the election of President-elect Joe Biden.

Many Nigerians, most of whom are ignorant of the fact that Mr. Pence does not have the constitutional powers to stop the certification tried to compare his action to that of Prof. Osinbajo.

Educating them on the election process, many Nigerians explained that Prof Osinbajo does not need to act like Pence because President Muhammadu Buhari has never said he will reject an election or even seek another term in office, therefore making the comparison baseless.

They also used the opportunity to educate their counterparts that Prof. Osinbajo has been a model number two citizen citing actions which include the sack of former DSS DG, Lawal Daura for simply blocking the gate of the National Assembly in 2017.

Others cited how he directed the inauguration of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry following the #EndSARS protest and how he has repeatedly called for erring policemen and security agents to be prosecuted.
Commenting on the matter, a Twitter user, O. P. Nuels wrote, “We always criticize our own. Mike Pence was mute for four years, last minute, he plays a ceremonial role and he becomes a hero. When VP Osinbajo was Acting President, he confirmed CJ Onnoghen, something President Muhammadu Buhari had kept in the cooler for months and he fired Lawal Daura as DG DSS.”

Mayowa Olaniyan also sought to educate his fellow citizens. “Even in the midst of this mess Mike Pence never stood up to his boss but stood to uphold the constitution. Just like Pence, Osinbajo stands for the Nigerian constitution and not against his boss. The sacking of Lawal Daura is a testament to this fact.”

Another user, Ekitiketekan listed some achievements of Prof Osinbajo even as Attorney General of Lagos. “Osinbajo’s reformed the civil justice system in the state of Lagos. “ He reduced the backlog of cases in the High Court and extended the accessibility of the legal system to the wider population.

“He reduced the average delays and duration of commercial cases before the civil courts. In 2000, as part of the Access to Justice Programme, five free Citizen Mediation Centres were opened in Lagos “as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism”.

Bola Danusi also laughed off the comparison saying there is no basis for it. “Enough of all this uneven comparison between Pence and Osinbajo. VP Osinbajo has always been unequivocally supporting the true cause. Have we quickly forgotten when he boldly suggested the need for a national debate to reduce the expensive cost of governance?