Now that the All Progressives Congress APC has produced its flagbearer in person of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is a southern Muslim ,the party is currently deliberating on who to choose as the vice presidential candidate.
The party is battling on whether the running mate should be a Muslim from the North to enhance the electoral victory of the APC against the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which has a northerner, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as candidate.
Behind the logic is that if the APC picks a northern Muslim as Tinubu’s running mate , the party will be fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket as the Social Democratic Party, SDP, did in 1993 with late Chief MKO Abiola and Alhaji Othman Tofa.
The SDP system nearly occured in 2015, with Major General Muhammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Tinubu but for fear of workability Professor Yemi Osinbajo was instead nominated as Buhari’s running mate.
The rumour which trailed on the social media during Tuesday’s presidential primaries of the APC was rebuffed by Asiwaju Tinubu.
Permutation is ongoing to ascertain a considered perfect running mate to Tinubu.
To this effect ,those who have been penned down for consideration include serving and out-going APC governors, who played significant roles in getting the South to secure the presidential ticket of the party.
They include Chairman of Progressive Governors Forum and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu; Chairman of Northern Governors Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simeon Lalong, Governor Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), who stepped down for Tinubu at the APC primaries; Governor Abdulraman Abdulrasak (Kwara); and Governor Babagana Zulum (Borno).
Others are Governor Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Governor Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Governor Bello Matawale (Zamfara), Mallam Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Yahaya Inuwa (Gombe), Abubakar Bello (Niger), and the Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni.
However, all those mentioned above are Muslims apart from Governor Lalong. Some prominent Northern Christians who could become Tinubu’s running mate are Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapaha; and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara
Also in the list are some of the contestants who lost the presidential primaries to Tinubu.
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, and Senate President Ahmad Lawan.