The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is in a last minute rush to submit the name of the running mate to Presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2023 Presidential election.
It’s a rush that has thrown up a list of candidates that can possibly oil the wheel of APC and Tinubu’s campaign machinery against formidable opposition from the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar at the polls.
The options available to Tinubu, a Southern candidate from the Southwest comes with highly wired political calculations-, at the heart of which is a difficult proposition of a Muslim-Muslim ticket in a contest deeply polarized along religious divide.
But apart from the hurdle of the Muslim-muslim ticket, there is a consideration that seems to limit Tinubu’s likely running mate to that candidate with the necessary massive support base in the North of the country, one who can possibly back it up with the require well withal to seal victory for the party.
Expectedly, the likely candidates pencilled down to deputize Tinubu have come mainly from North of the country.
They include and in no particular order former Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan and the Secretary to the Federal Government, (SGF), Boss Mustapha.
Others are a former SFG, David Babachir Lawal and the Governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru.
The option of Shettima looks quite tempting.
As a former Governor and serving senator, Shettima has the Muslim-muslim credential that seems to fit into APC’s projections of a candidate that can neutralize votes for PDP’s Atiku Abubakar in his stronghold in the Northeast.
Shettima campaigned vigorously for Tinubu as APC standard bearer and is believed to have been instrumental in his emergence as the candidate of the party.
But will that be enough to earn Shettima the coveted title?
Next is the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan. Arguably, APC’s most popular candidate and highest political office holder in the North. Lawan like Shettima meets the requirement of APC’s fancied Muslim-Muslim ticket.
While Lawan has the structure of the National Assembly at his disposal and is capable of mobilizing both serving and former lawmakers to galvanize support for Tinubu, he lacks the kind of political structure at the beck and call of a former Governor like Shettima.
Secretary to the Federal Government, Boss Mustapha, a Northern Christian is also touted to take the slot of APC Vice Presidency.
His faith far more than his ability to deliver on the job could be his worst political albatross especially as he lacked any known political structure to help Tinubu penetrate the core corners of a deeply religious and sensitive North.
Former Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF), David Babachir Lawal is a late convert in the list of likely candidates for the Vice Presidential slot.
Like Boss Mustapha, while Babachir can sway votes from Christian voters in the North for Tinubu, his worst obstacle could be from his own party’s determination to swim against the tides of all known religious sensibilities even against warning from the Christian Association of Nigerian asking APC to have a rethink.
Next on the queue is the Governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru. As a serving Governor, Badaru has all the aces to ignite the magic for Tinubu.
That much he demonstrated at the just conducted presidential primaries where he withdrew from the race and asked delegates in his control to follow Tinubu. Besides, the Muslim-muslim ticket works perfectly in his favour.
But in all of these, the APC has all it takes to spring surprises and the choice of who becomes its Vice Presidential candidate will ultimately rest squarely on the party and its Presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take.
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
