Tinubu: My VP Will Be Christian From North-East

By Adesina Soyooye

Amidst the controversy over who the running mate to the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will be,  the candidate seems to have made up his mind on where his Vice President will come from, and of which Religion.

Since Tinubu, a Muslim from Southern Nigeria emerged as the candidate of the APC, speculations have been rife over who should be his running mate.

Some have advocated for a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

For instance, the Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu, in advocating for a Muslim-Muslim ticket said that Tinubu, being a minority Muslim from the South, cannot run with a Minority Christian from the North. He says it is a recipe for failure.

To allay the fears of Christians, Kalu pointed out that Tinubu’s wife of over  40 years is not only a Christian, but a Senior Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. As Tinubu’s wife, Kalu said, his wife. Senator Remy Tinubu, will be  the “de facto Deputy President” of Nigeria.

But a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, thinks otherwise. He says any Muslim-Muslim ticket will be a failure for the APC as Christians in the North will never support it.

Amidst stories that Tinubu had been given three names to choose from – Senator Kashim   Shettima, a former Governor  of Bornu State, Professor Babagana Zulum, incumbent Governor of Borno State, and Mrs Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, all Muslims,  Tinubu has said his running mate would be a Christian from the North-east.

He revealed this in Ekiti State on Wednesday, where he went to campaign for the APC candidate in upcoming  Governorship election on Saturday.

According to him, those spreading the story that he had picked a Muslim running mate are mischief makers, who are afraid of his candidacy and are doing everything to present him and the APC in bad light. He dismissed them as “undemocratic elements” who are afraid of his “imminent victory” at the polls.

Tinubu: “The VP slot belongs to the North Eastern Region, and particularly, the Christians. But consultations are yet ongoing as to who will be decided.”

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, is from the North-east. An APC VP from that zone, will surely eat into Atiku’s votes.