The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are racing against time to pick their presidential running mates ahead of next Friday’s deadline handed down by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Alhaji Abubakar Atiku who was elected PDP’s flag bearer two weeks ago and APC’s Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who emerged as candidate last Tuesday have been brainstorming with the hierarchy of their party on their prospective deputies and the parameters for selecting them.
Both candidates, party sources said yesterday, are laying emphasis on competence and ability by their would be running mates to attract votes.
While Atiku has already constituted a committee to complement his own effort in the search for a running mate, Tinubu is continuing consultations with groups and individuals for advice. Party sources told The Nation yesterday that the two major factors that will be critical in Tinubu’s choice of running mate are competence and a deep knowledge of the economy.
“As you well know, Nigeria’s biggest challenges right now are the economy and security. So what the APC candidate requires is a vice presidential candidate with a sound understanding of the economy; someone who can help drive the economic agenda of the government, the main trust of his (Tinubu’s) manifesto,” one of the sources said.
The APC governors are to be actively involved in the search, Bayo Onanuga, spokesman for the Tinubu Campaign Organisation, said earlier in the week following the candidate’s meeting with the governors.
“When Tinubu met the Progressive Governors at their forum, he told them that they are going to be the people who will pick his running mate,” Onanuga said.
Tinubu’s running mate has to be from one of the North West, North Central or North East.
The committee set up by Atiku in the PDP met twice during the week at a location in Abuja. Our correspondent also gathered from reliable sources that the committee may have resolved to meet with the South-South, Southeast caucuses of the party in continuation of consultations that will ensure that a popular choice emerge as the Vice Presidential candidate of the party.
“The presidential candidate of our party is from the North East. Naturally, his running mate will be selected from one of the southern zones.
“It is true that some groups and individuals are already lobbying to be considered for the slot. The search is on as we intend to pick the very best person that will further brighten our chances to win the election,” said one source.
“A committee has been set up to lead the way in the search for our Vice Presidential candidate. We are going to consider a lot of factors in making this all important choice in the interest of the party.
“Meetings and consultations are ongoing. In fact, the committee will be meeting the South-South, Southeast caucuses of our party soon as part of the consultations,” the source added.
Atiku has already consulted with PDP governors and members of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) on the issue. Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State are said to be lobbying for the position.
Their aspirations have divided the PDP Governors Forum, sources said, and spoke of the need to get it done as soon as possible.
“We are in a hurry to end the consultations and announce a candidate as soon as possible. The tension being generated is not healthy for the party,” a member of the BoT said.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, hinted that the PDP may announce its vice-presidential candidate next week.
He declined to mention names of possible candidates but admitted that some people and interests were lobbying for the ticket.
CAN warns against Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday advised the two leading political parties to shun the temptation of going for a Christian/Christian or Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket in 2023.
The association in separate congratulatory messages to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the APC, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of PDP and Mr. Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP), urged religious balance in their choice of running mates.
National Secretary of CAN, Mr. Bade Daramola, said: “We do not subscribe to Christian/Christian ticket or Muslim/Muslim ticket. Politicians can talk politics but we have stated our view long before now. Any party that tries same religion ticket will fail. This is not 1993. Even when we have joint Muslim/Christian ticket, the church still goes through hell.
“Only God knows the number of Christians that have been killed in the last seven years with no one apprehended or prosecuted.
“Imagine how bad it will be if we have two Muslims in power. The extant Nigerian Constitution promotes religious balance. So, if any political party wants to try Muslim/Muslim ticket, it’s at its own peril. CAN is only forewarning, but will make a categorical statement in the event our warning is not heeded.”
El-Rufai: We should de-emphasise religion
However, Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai said the issue of competence should override religious considerations.
Asked for his opinion on the issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket on Channels Television yesterday, El-Rufai said: “I have no problem with that. Nigerians should de-emphasise religion. Competence should be the keyword.”
Citing Kaduna State as an example, he said: “When I picked a fellow Muslim as my running mate in 2019, people said I would lose the election but we won with a landslide.
“I have Christians as friends, but the issue of religion should not be a factor in politics.
“If Bola Tinubu decides to go for a Muslim-Muslim ticket, so be it; we’ll support him.”
El-Rufai also yesterday revealed how President Muhammadu Buhari refused to dictate how delegates from his state should vote at the APC presidential primaries.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, El-Rufai said President Buhari told the delegates to “vote their conscience.”
“In many of our states, the delegate votes were divided,” he said.
The Kaduna State governor added: “Before I went to address the Kaduna delegates for the last time, I went to the President and I asked him, have you decided on who we should vote for? He said, I told you, go and vote for any of the five (candidates selected by APC governors)
“I said, Mr President, the Kaduna delegates are your delegates, you are going to retire and live in Kaduna. So you can tell me who you want out of the five, and the President said ‘I want all five’.
“I said what then should I tell Kaduna delegates? He said, tell them to vote their conscience; they are representing 10 million people in Kaduna State. It’s a heavy responsibility, and they should discharge it and pick the best candidate.
“Now I don’t know how the Kaduna delegates voted, but the feedback I got after the voting is that most of them voted for Asiwaju, some voted for Amaechi and some voted for Professor Yemi Osinbajo.”
Source: The Nation
