Amid speculation about the possible Muslim/Muslim presidential candidacy in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo state has said that the country’s constitution does not recognize religion as a factor in choosing a candidate. running mate.
Mr. Uzodinma, who served as co-chair of the recent APC Convention Committee, said the focus must be on uniting the country and providing good governance.
He said this on Tuesday while speaking to reporters at the State House, after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
Social media has been awash with speculation that the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, could choose a northern Muslim as his running mate.
The former governor of Lagos state, a Muslim from the southwestern zone, is expected to choose a running mate from any of the three northern zones.
Most Christian politicians in the north belong to minority ethnic groups.
There is speculation that Tinubu could opt for a Muslim running mate like the late Moshood Abiola did for the 1993 presidential election.
Abiola, a Muslim from Ogun state in the southwest, had chosen Babagana Kingibe, a Muslim from Borno state, as the defunct Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) vice-presidential candidate.
Abiola was already heading home to victory in the elections when the then Babangida administration annulled the elections.
Uzondinma said that the candidate has the prerogative to choose a running mate.
“There is nowhere in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where religion is a factor or a characteristic as to who becomes president or running mate.
“But we are looking for a united Nigeria, where governance is the issue, where a president is judged on his ability to deliver democratic dividends, developing Nigeria to resemble other parts of the Western world where democracy is working,” he said.
Uzodinma added that Tinubu must consider “the local characteristics and all the factors, political and non-political, that will make him win his election.”
He emphasized the need for the candidate to consider broadcasting, noting that winning the election is the most important thing.
In addition, Mr. Uzodinma commented on the presidential aspiration of the southeast.
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Several APC presidential hopefuls from the southeast, including Science and Technology Minister Ogbonnaya Onu and former Minister of State for Education Emeka Nwajiuba, had called for microzoning of the presidential ticket for the region.
While Onu made the demand while speaking at the convention venue, Nwajiuba stayed away from the event in protest of the ruling party’s failure to microzone the presidential ticket to the southeast.
Uzodinma said that the southeast is not interested in being a running mate, but rather in being president. He added that the region will have to mobilize around the candidate after the delegates’ decision.
“What we wanted as a zone was to be president of Nigeria. And he was convinced that it was right for us to ask. But in this business of partisan democracy, the minority will have their say, but the majority will get their way,” he said.
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) requires that all presidential candidates must present the names of their running mates before June 17.