2023: Why Tinubu may not pick Ganduje as his running mate

The presidential ambitions of Bola Ahmed Tinubu may be hugely impacted by the choice of his running mate, as such, there have been speculations over the choice of candidates that Tinubu may pick as his vice-presidential running mate.

Among those who have been fingered as possible picks for Bola Tinubu’s running mate in the run of the 2023 presidential elections, Umar Ganduje of Kano State has been said to be one of those that could be chosen.

Even though Ganduje being from the North, where the vice-presidential aspirant can be picked from, is eligible for the position of the vice-presidency, it is submitted in this article that Bola Tinubu may not choose him as his running mate due to the following reasons.

Age

Bola Ahmed Tinubu may not settle for Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as his running mate due to the age of the current governor of Kano State.

Like Bola Tinubu who will be over 70 years old at the time of the next election, Umar Ganduje, is over 70 years old, being 74 years old in 2022. Hence, it may not be advisable for Tinubu to use him as his running mate.

Recall that Tinubu has come under criticism for his age and as such, he may need a younger person on his ticket in order to get the younger electorates to throw their support behind him.

The former Governor of Lagos State may reason that if he picks Ganduje as a vice-presidential running mate, the Nigerian youths who make a larger population of voters may feel unrepresented and as such not support him.

Religion

Like Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is himself a practicing Muslim, Umar Ganduje is also a practicing Muslim, and his emergence as Tinubu’s choice for the position of vice-president may not sit well with the Christian section of the country.

Notably, Nigeria is a country that is populated with Muslims and Christians, and in the past, the Presidents and Vice-presidents have been drawn from the two religions.

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Accordingly, in Tinubu’s case, he may decide to pick a Northern Nigerian running mate who is not a Muslim so that the Christian section of the country may give him their support for the forthcoming presidential election.