After the emergence of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) all focus are now on who he picks as his running mate.
Applesbite reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had fixed June 17 as the deadline for all political parties to submit a list of Presidential candidates and their running mates.
Being a Muslim from the South, Bola Tinubu is expected to pick a Northern Christian as his running mate but political analysts have claimed that no Northern Christian has the political clout to garner enough vote from the region for the former Lagos State Governor.
Speaking on Thursday, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal has kicked against the thought of a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
The former SGF stated that if the APC decides to go with a Muslim-Muslim ticket it will be disastrous for the party.
While stating that such plans is dead on arrival, Lawal said it is out of place for anyone to consider such a thought.
He noted that Nigeria’s political atmosphere is divided along regional and religious lines.
“You can have the best ticket but if you don’t win the election, it’s a waste of time,” he said.
“So, we must bear in mind that the vice (presidential candidate) is going to contribute to winning that election.”
“Extending that consideration to the Muslim-Muslim ticket, I live among the Christians, and I know that among the Christians, the question of Muslim-Muslim ticket is a no-go area; it is dead on arrival.
“Buhari himself, even at that time, had to drop this present presidential candidate because of that tension of a Muslim-Muslim ticket, and we have not seen anything in the country that has changed significantly to allow that to happen. On the contrary, it has worsened.”
The former SGF said: “The religious divide has increased, the tribal division has increased, the regional division has increased.
“So, it will be a good thing if APC will settle for a Muslim-Christian ticket because we know the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that is what they will do.”
Babachir Laawl, who is an ally of Tinubu, also stated that he is not lobbying to emerge as the running mate of the APC presidential candidate.
He however stated that the party needs a running mate capable of ensuring victory for it in the 2023 general elections.
“God has not told me to aspire for that position. If you reach the level of Christianity that I am, you should be able to seek God’s opinion on everything that you do and get the indication.
“I will consider it. I have been in government before, and I have not seen any personal merit or advantage to me being in government. Since I left government, I have had a very good life and basically, a businessperson, and I have lived well. I am happy, my children are happy,” Babachir Lawal said.
