Running Mate: Stop Mounting Pressure On Tinubu, Agbomhere Tells Nigerians

A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and chairman of the Forum of APC Organising Secretaries, Dr. Blessing Agbomhere, has asked Nigerians to give the presidential candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the freedom to choose whoever he prefers as a running mate.

Agbomhere, who is also the zonal APC secretary for South-South, said a situation where leaders of some political groups and religious organisations are mounting pressure to influence the choice of one of their own does not augur well for the nation’s democracy.

In a statement released to journalists Saturday in Abuja, the APC chieftain insisted that it is well within the constitutional rights of Tinubu to pick his running mate irrespective of the religious affiliation of the candidate he chooses.

He also said what Nigerians should be interested in are the candidate and political party that will bring desired development to the country and not whether Tinubu would run for presidency on a Muslim-Muslim, Christian-Christian or any other combination of religious faiths.

Agbomhere said: “The emergence of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the Presidential Candidate of our great party, the All Progressives Congress has received wide acclaim, support and acceptance.

“All we need to do is to focus on winning the 2023 presidential election as a party and our victory will depend on our ability to carry Nigerians along. We cannot afford to lose focus by being distracted about who Tinubu may decide to choose as his running mate.

“The solution to the challenges confronting Nigeria does not rest on whether the running mate to Tinubu is Christain or Muslim.

“Nigerians are not interested on who becomes running mate to any of the presidential candidates. What they need is good governance that would guarantee security, stable polity and social economic progress.

“Nobody can carry a pass to the market on the basis of Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian tickets for Asiwaju or any other Presidential candidate and get food items free.

“They only need a ticket that would guarantee the availability of products and economic empowerment to meet their needs.

“We are ready to support and vote for Tinubu irrespective of who he chooses as his running mate and we will work to ensure that Nigerians do the same.”