Finally, it’s Muslim-Muslim Ticket for APC

2023 Campaign Watch

After weeks of consultations and high-wire politicking, the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu, ignored all warnings against a Muslim-Muslim ticket,  and   announced another former governor, Senator Kashim Shettima, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election. The choice of Shettima ended scheming and maneuvering by quite a number of northern governors like Mallam Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State and Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, to be the chosen one.

Sources even told THISDAY that Ganduje was so sure of being the one to be chosen that he even took a traditional title in the ancient city of Ibadan. In the same vein, el-Rufai had been busy dismissing those raising concerns over a Muslim-Muslim ticket, saying they merely wanted to set the country on fire.

It was not known what informed Tinubu’s choice but one major factor against Ganduje and el-Rufai was the fact that both of them are from the North-west geo-political zone where current President, Muhammadu Buhari, hails from.

Earlier, six governors of the zone (North-west) had met and their plea was that one of them be chosen as the vice-presidential candidate. But it was all going to be a difficult sell going by the singular fact that same zone could not finish  eight-year tenure as president and then another person from the zone would be sworn in as the vice president.

There was also a strong case for Atiku Bagudu, the governor of Kebbi State, but Tinubu was said to have been favourably disposed to picking the current governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum. But he was said to have taken so long in accepting or rejecting the offer before he eventually did and Tinubu had to settle for Shettima. And the rejection by Zulum might not be unconnected with the fact that Shettima was his former boss (he was commissioner before Shettima picked him as his successor) and that he was interested in the same vice-presidential slot. It was gathered that he did not want to offend him by accepting the offer.

As expected, the choice of Shettima has generated a heated debate among Nigerians with many saying Tinubu choosing a fellow Muslim was quite insensitive and that it might prove to be a hard sell in the South. But Tinubu has defended his choice by saying that the task of saving the country was beyond religion. In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, his campaign spokesperson, Tinubu said both sides of the argument had merits.

“I am mindful of the energetic discourse concerning the possible religion of my running mate. Just and noble people have talked to me about this. Some have counselled that I should select a Christian to please the Christian community. Others have said I should pick a Muslim to appeal to the Muslim community. Clearly, I cannot do both. Both sides of the debate have impressive reasons and passionate arguments supporting their positions. Both arguments are right in their own way. But neither is right in the way that Nigeria needs at the moment. As President, I hope to govern this nation towards uncommon progress. This will require innovation. It will require steps never before taken. It will also require decisions that are politically difficult and rare.”

If religion is proving to be an albatross for Tinubu and might even cost him the Presidency, he should look no further than the way the current President has handled the issue of religion and ethnic balancing since he assumed office seven years ago. Buhari has never hidden his bias and preference for one religion and zone over the other; especially in the area of appointments to key positions. There were also those who felt the President has been deliberately treating Islamic insurgents and killer herdsmen with kid gloves due to his religious and ethnic loyalties to them.

Therefore, if Christians are worried that their interests would not be protected by a Muslim-Muslim presidency, perhaps, they have a point. It is now left for Tinubu and his handlers to convince those who felt he was insensitive with his choice of a fellow Muslim as running mate that he actually meant well for the nation. And this won’t be an easy task going by how polarised the nation has become under Buhari over the issue of religion and ethnicity.

No one can envy the former Lagos State governor right now.

WIKE’S LIKE BULL IN CHINA SHOP

Since he lost the presidential ticket of the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has not failed to let anyone who cares to listen know that he was bitter about the outcome of the exercise. And if he could have let go of the ticket, the fact that current Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, beat him to the vice presidential ticket seemed to have added salt to the injury and he would not keep quiet after those ‘disappointments’.

First, Wike has not hidden the fact that his losing the ticket was rankling and even before then, he had fought an almost attritional war for the ticket to be zoned to the South to compensate it for sustaining the party. The party, after a series of meetings and discussions, decided to throw the ticket open and Atiku beat him (Wike) to it.

Last week, Wike played host to a number of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC’s governors. They included the Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, his Ondo State counterpart, Rotimi Akeredolu, as well as the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Joining them was former Ekiti State governor and apparent Wike’s sidekick, Ayo Fayose. The aim of the trip was to convince Wike to support Senator Bola Tinubu’s presidential bid. It was not known what he promised them. But such a meeting was enough to send further worries down the spine of the PDP leadership.

It could be recalled that after the primary election, sources had said Wike would be picked as Atiku’s running mate. The party had therefore set up a committee to screen potential candidates for the vice-presidential slot. Wike, Okowa and Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa-Ibom had appeared before the screening panel set up by the party to nominate a vice-presidential candidate. At the end of the day, Okowa  was picked. Though some loyalists of Wike have been claiming that it was Wike that was recommended, Atiku had gone ahead to pick Okowa.

Since then, it has been a cold war with Governor Wike openly meeting opposition politicians while his party frantically tries to bring him back to the fold as they consider him strategic to their plans if they want to return to power after eight years. But Wike does not seem to have been placated.

When told that a committee had been set up to reconcile Wike with the party, a top Wike associate and former member of the House of Representatives, Ogbomna Nwuke, said the reconciliation committee set up by Atiku was a contradiction.

“On one hand, somebody says he (Wike) is one who talks too much, who probably is uncontrollable. And then, on the other hand, you want him to help your cause. You want victory and you think he can contribute to your victory. Is that not a contradiction? There was an attempt to draft a man who was not interested in the vice presidency to be the vice president; a committee was set up, the caucus spoke, the national working committee of the party spoke favourably about Wike and it was not honoured.”

 He further said: “Atiku did what he wanted to do. So what committee is he setting up again? To do what?  It doesn’t make sense. When the convention was over, nobody showed him the way to Wike’s house. If he wants Wike to work with him, he should walk to the Governor of Rivers State and speak with him. We don’t need committees, what will the committee do? It doesn’t make sense to me.”

With rhetoric like this, it is obvious that Wike is far from being placated. But will he be like the proverbial bull in PDP’s China shop? It remains to be seen.

To show that all is not truly well within the party, last week, all the eleven governors on the platform of the party stayed away from the inauguration of the National Campaign Council for the July 16 governorship election in Osun State.  The governors  were Nyesom Wike, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Okezie Ikpeazu, Samuel Ortom, Seyi Makinde of Rivers, Enugu, Abia, Benue and Oyo states respectively.

Also not present at the event included the Chairman of the Campaign Council and Bayelsa State governor, Diri Douye; Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal; Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed; Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, Akwa Ibom state governor, Udom Emmanuel and Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Fintiri. It must be noted that all the governors were members of the 128-man committee. But they were not present at the inauguration of the committee.

OSINBAJO’S POSSIBLE PRESIDENTIAL RUN

In terms of organisation and the way he went about his campaign in the build-up to the presidential primary of his party, All Progressives Congress, APC, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo probably came head and shoulders above others. He traversed all the state capitals and he also got a lot of professionals to endorse his aspiration. But all those were not enough to win him the ticket. He came a distant third to Bola Tinubu and Rotimi Amaechi who came first and second respectively.

It was a major blow to Osinbajo who many had thought would succeed his boss and also the fact that many thought he had the credentials and the carriage as well as the exposure to make a better president than his boss. Sources also told THISDAY that the confidence in his camp in the weeks preceding the convention was due to the fact that he had told his close aides that the President had actually endorsed him and had been monitoring his campaigns. Perhaps, the Vice President was to later learn that he was perhaps not the only person the President had promised. Sources said he also gave his words to former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as well as the charismatic pastor and his running mate in the 2011 presidential election, Pastor Tunde Bakare.

None of these made the cut. Tinubu polled a total of 1,271 votes to Amaechi’s 316 and Osinbajo’s 235votes.

Now, last week, words started coming out that the Vice President was under pressure to seek his presidential ambition on the platform of another party. Some even mentioned the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, being promoted by former governor of Kano State, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Though aides of the Vice President have since dismissed the rumours, they won’t go away with some going to the extent of saying that Kwankwaso had accepted to be his running mate.

Beyond the rumour is the practicability of the push. Will the vice president accept the challenge and resign his position or keep it, but resign his membership of the ruling party?

Perhaps, Osinbajo has every reason to be bitter about the outcome of the APC’s presidential primary, but he is perhaps politically wise enough to know that trying his luck on another platform would be what it is: a wild goose chase.