Farouq Aliyu, a senior member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), revealed that Bola Tinubu’s actual running mate will be chosen based on competence.
This was said on Sunday by the former minority leader of the House of Representatives during an appearance on Politics Today on Channels Television.
Recall that Tinubu won the APC nomination for the 2023 presidential election, defeating candidates like Rotimi Amaechi, the former transportation minister, and vice president Yemi Osinbajo, among others.
Following the announcement, the APC candidate named Kabiru Masari as the “stand-in” for the position of the vice-presidential candidate until a legitimate name was submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, notable Nigerians and religious organisations like the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) have vowed to oppose any political party that fields a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Speaking on the contentious subject, Aliyu said that competence, not religion, would be a key factor in selecting the APC’s vice presidential nominee.
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If the APC runs a Muslim-Muslim or Muslim-Christian ticket, he claimed, members would ensure that the party wins the 2023 presidential election.
The former lawmaker revealed that the ruling party and its presidential candidate are still debating who will serve as the running mate.
Nigerians would be convinced that the party had made the right choice, according to Aliyu, once the candidate was announced.
“By the time the name is out, everyone will believe and be convinced that we have made the right choice,” he said. So please be patient; it will be released soon.
The complexity of the nation is the only reason our candidate found it difficult to choose a running mate. You recognise that despite the country’s diversity, people often talk about Muslim-Muslim relations, Muslim-Christian relations, and so on without taking into account the fact that winning an election is a prerequisite for initiating action.
“We are consulting, looking at Muslim-Muslim and Muslim-Christian tickets as well. However, our party believes that what the people will get is more important than religion or personal identity.
Therefore, we will ensure that we win the election even if our party develops a Muslim-Muslim card. And we’ll make sure we win the election if the candidate chooses a Christian. Since competence is more important than religion.
