Following the announcement of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, all eyes are on who he chooses as his running mate.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set June 17 as the deadline for all political parties to submit a list of Presidential candidates and their running mates, according to Anaedoonline.ng.
Bola Tinubu, a Muslim from the south, is anticipated to choose a Northern Christian as his running mate, but political observers argue that no Northern Christian has the political clout to help the former Lagos State Governor win enough votes in the area.
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Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal, speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, dismissed the idea of a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
According to the former SGF, the APC’s decision to run a Muslim-Muslim ticket will be devastating for the party.
While admitting that such schemes are doomed from the start, Lawal believes it is inappropriate for anybody to entertain such an idea.
Nigeria’s political climate, he said, is divided along regional and religious lines.
“You can have the best ticket but if you don’t win the election, it’s a waste of time,” he said.
“So, we must bear in mind that the vice (presidential candidate) is going to contribute to winning that election.”
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“Extending that consideration to the Muslim-Muslim ticket, I live among the Christians, and I know that among the Christians, the question of Muslim-Muslim ticket is a no-go area; it is dead on arrival.
“Buhari himself, even at that time, had to drop this present presidential candidate because of that tension of a Muslim-Muslim ticket, and we have not seen anything in the country that has changed significantly to allow that to happen. On the contrary, it has worsened.”
The former SGF said: “The religious divide has increased, the tribal division has increased, the regional division has increased.
“So, it will be a good thing if APC will settle for a Muslim-Christian ticket because we know the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that is what they will do.”
Babachir Lawal, who is an ally of Tinubu, also stated that he is not lobbying to emerge as the running mate of the APC presidential candidate.
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He however stated that the party needs a running mate capable of ensuring victory for it in the 2023 general elections.
“God has not told me to aspire for that position. If you reach the level of Christianity that I am, you should be able to seek God’s opinion on everything that you do and get the indication.
“I will consider it. I have been in government before, and I have not seen any personal merit or advantage to me being in government. Since I left government, I have had a very good life and basically, a businessperson, and I have lived well. I am happy, my children are happy,” Babachir Lawal said.
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