All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Bola Tinubu may be heading for a major clash with with his estranged godson and Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, over the choice of the former’s running mate.
metrowatchxtra recalls that Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state had recently unveiled a fellow Muslim and ex-Borno governor, Kashim Shettima as his running mate in the 2023 presidential elections.
The development has been met with negative criticism and strong resistance in some quarters especially by Christian faithful who consider such move as a threat to Nigeria’s secular status.
Meanwhile, according to a report by Vanguard, Osinbajo has warned that such a move would not augur well both for the APC and the country.
A Presidency source told the Newspaper that the Vice President had expressed serious objection to the adoption of a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“Professor Osinbajo is opposed to this thing announced on Sunday, and his objections are well known both to the party and even the flagbearer himself,” the source was quoted as saying.
The source also told the Newspaper that Osinbajo opposed a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2014 even before what later turned out as his own eventual nomination as VP.
Then he was reported to have explained to Tinubu that a Muslim-Muslim ticket would simply isolate Christians. Later the then APC flag-bearer, President Buhari, also shared that position and rejected overtures to name Tinubu as his running mate after emerging as the presidential candidate.
The informed source said that recently, Osinbajo counselled APC chieftains and Tinubu to avoid an unbalanced ticket, arguing that such would simply be untenable and an unnecessary risk.
“The VP explained the logic, fairness and justice of a balanced ticket is unassailable. The argument that merit should be considered above a Muslim- Christian balance presents a false choice. It is not one or the other. You can get all the merit you want in a balanced ticket,” said the source.
“The VP said anything short of a balanced ticket creates a needless tension and further aggravates some of the country’s fault-lines. But a balanced ticket certainly sends a positive signal.
“APC may have shot itself on the foot with this kind of ticket, and the tensions going on in the party and the country since the announcement was made is a bad thing,” the source added.
• Courtesy: Vanguard
