Osinbajo, Tinubu on another collision course

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and his erstwhile political godfather, Bola Tinubu are on another collision course few weeks after the duo squared up at the All Progressives Congress presidential primaries in Abuja where the latter emerged victorious.

The vice president fired the first shot on Monday when he spoke against the choice of former Governor of Borno state, Senator Kashim Shettima as running mate to Tinubu.

It was gathered that Osinbajo had expressed serious objection to the adoption of a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

According to reliable source, Osinbajo’s objections are well known both to the party and even Tinubu, adding that  the VP opposed a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2014 even before what later turned out as his own eventual nomination as VP.

READ ALSO: Osinbajo tasks academics on healthcare, tertiary education reforms

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.

“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.”

As political tensions brewed, fresh talks of political realignments were already buzzing since after the announcement on Sunday as some other registered parties are said to be making plans to build a new coalition with Vice President Osinbajo in what is seen as an opportunity to offer a credible and faith-balanced option in next year’s presidential election. A source said a meeting to explore such a possibility is now in the works.

“APC may have shot itself in 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 said.