As the clock ticks, the game of balancing presidential tickets by the respective presidential candidates of the respective political parties is taking shape with the candidates of the Labour party, Peter Obi, that of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar and New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso among the major parties, choosing running mates from their opposite religious faiths. While Obi, a Christian Southerner chose Ahmed Datti from the north , Atiku Abubakar, a northern muslim,chose Ifeanyi Okowa, a Christian southerner as his running mate. Rabiu Kwankwaso, a northern muslim has since chosen Oladipo, a southern Christian as his running mate to balance.
It remains the candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a southern muslim, to balance his choice with a Christian northerner. That is the mood of the nation right now as far as fairness,equity and justice entails.
Last week, melting point focused on the likely choices of running mates of the different
political parties after the conduct of their respective national conventions. While the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, quickly and calculatively settled for Delta State
governor, Senator Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, Labour
and other parties picked placeholders pending the final decision for expected balancing. Peter Obi who had earlier chosen a fellow Christian in the person of Doyin Okupe,on Friday fulfilled his promise of balancing the ticket with the choice of a highly respected Ahmed Datti as substantive running mate. Both Atiku and Kwankwaso have since, sensitively settled theirs. All eyes are now on Baba Asiwaju on whether he will respect the mood of the nation to balance his ticket with a Christian northerner or whether he will pitch tent with those who believe in same faith ticket. Presently, Tinubu has a placeholder in the person of a felloe muslim, Kabiru Masari from Katsina, the home state of president Muhamadu Buhari.
Timelines have been allotted for such and all other political activities by INEC and 17th of June was the dateline for the submission of the names of the running mates. Each one had to rush to fill the space to avoid being disqualified by the electoral body, hence the resolve to put placeholders by candidates who were not ready with their substantial choices.
The Electoral Act provided windows for replacement of names earlier submitted and therefore all the parties have opportunities for proper consultations. That’s why the APC and LP could submit dummies to INEC and get them comfortably replaced before the dateline .
Within the ruling APC which has produced former Lagos State governor, Senator Bola Tinubu as its presidential candidate, growing indications that former Speaker of the 8 th House of representatives, Bauchi born Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara is the preferred choice of vice president, is fast gaining momentum. Former Members of the House of Representatives especially those of northern origin have endorsed the choice of Dogara to deputise for Tinubu. The Church in the north has equally endorsed his choice as one to pair with Tinubu and if only the former Lagos state Governor can resist pressures for same faith ticket, the issue would have been sealed by now. Everyone knows the electoral value and political reach and spread of Dogara having served as one of the best few Speakers the nation has produced. The nation has been agog in debate as to whether Tinubu should pick a Christian or muslim running mate and each religious divide is putting pressure to get the slot.
It is very imperative to give objective consideration for the choice of a VP from a wider perspective and not from a politically inclined position. If Atiku who is a muslim northerner can pick Okowa a Christian southerner, and Obi, a southern Christian can pick Datti a northern muslim,Kwankwaso a northern muslim going with a southern Christian, then it is only proper for Tinubu, a southern muslim to pick a Dogara or any other northern Christian to balance the religious equation The need for a balanced ticket is not out of place considering the sharp dividing lines of region, religion and ethnicity in the country. That some northern muslims are making strong case for a muslim-muslim ticket is enough for Christians to make a case for balance. Why can’t the Apc and labour tow the line of the PDP?
It is not whether a muslim muslim or Christian Christian ticket can bring victory or not. The most important consideration here is the success of governance built on mutual trust and respect. If governance takes off with such sentimental affiliations, people will begin to read and misread, define and misdefine every government policy and action.
If all things being equal ,the polity is not supposed to be divided along ethnic and religious lines, but realities on ground have made it very important for such considerations to hold sway. While some people believe that competence and not where you come from should be the guiding principle, the nature of power dynamics and allocations in politics must have boundaries expressed in such sentiments. We cannot assume otherwise , but must work with the realities in our hands, and the realities are that we are a secular nation dominated by two major religious groups which requires mutual consideration and respect for mutual coexistence. Since we have separate states and constituencies across the nation, one cannot wish away such considerations which are aimed at acquiring power.
Some people keep making reference to the Abiola/ Kingibe era in which both the presidential candidate and running mate were muslims. Such can not be easily applied now in view of the glaring suspicions and differences that exist. One can imagine if Obasanjo who is a Christian had picked a fellow Christian in 1999 or that the late Yar’Adua as a muslim,could have picked another muslim as his vice instead of a Christian. Political crisis and conflicts of monumental proportions could have been created, but for the way the
balancing was done, there was peace and stability in governance all through. Why then must we change from the status quo since we have enjoyed doing so in the past and even right now. Buhari could have picked Tinubu as was speculated in 2015 but everyone opposed it then for peace to reign, why now? government.
As it is now, the nation is warming up for the most critical elections in the political history of the people, especially as the country confronts a transition from the outgoing Buhari administration to a new one. Nigerians of all shades and opinions, most especially those at the leadership levels should not divide this country by promoting unpopular and divisive tendencies of Muslim -muslim or Christian- Christian tickets for whatever reasons. While we appreciate PDP’s Atiku,LP’s Obi and NNPP’s Kwankwaso for setting the pace, we urge Tinubu to, in the same spirit of mutual respect and understanding, balance his ticket.
