The emergence of the national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as the party’s 2023 presidential candidate may be placing the party on a high risk in the preparation for the 2023 presidential election. The ruling APC is currently thrown into a dilemma over the choice of a running mate for Tinubu.
While some stakeholders argue for the conventional practice of Musli/Christian joint presidential tickets for the sake of equitable power sharing in the North/South dichotomy of the Nigerian polity, some others are rooting for Muslim/Muslim ticket.
The Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, had in Abuja declared that only Muslim/Muslim ticket will guarantee victory for the APC in the 2023 presidential race.
Kalu emphasized that Tinubu is a Muslim minority from the south, arguing that choosing a Christian vice president from the north will imply fielding two minorities for the presidential election, which according to him, will not work for the APC.
Some APC stakeholders were of the view that the ruling party has immersed itself in two prejudicial issues of national concerns, which according to them, include regional politics prior to the party’s presidential primary, and having resolved the issue of zoning, is currently facing another controversial issue of religion and ethnicity in the choice of running mate to Tinubu.
The APC stakeholders were of the view that the party leaders should be cautious in handling the running mate controversy. According to them, if northern Muslims are to vote with religious prejudice, why do APC leaders think they will reject a higher stake in a presidential Muslim candidate for a lower stake in a vice president of the APC. They noted that northern Muslims will not be that insensitive to values of a presidential candidate being presented to them in the person of Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in addition to Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), to choose a vice presidential candidate of the APC.
Meanwhile, Tinubu had told party members that the choice of a running mate is his right, and that the running mate is in his pocket.
The dilemma persists till Tinubu’s running mate is announced.