Vice president in Nigeria is merely spare tyre who becomes visible if he counts the support of his boss. Instead of heating up the politics with who will be the vice president,why can we vote the candidates based on their track record or parties manifestations?
Since the conduct of national convention by political parties, the prominent issues that become the topic of discussion and caught the attention of nigerians is how the presidential candidates who emerged could pick up their running mate. In a bid to beat the INEC’s June 17 deadline for the submission of running mates,the opposition PDP, after consultation and political calculation, picked governor Okowa of Delta State as Atiku running mate.
However, his selection has surprised many nigerians who assumed that, governor Nyesom Wike who polled second, would have been compensated with vice President slot. At last,supporters of Wike were disappointed as Atiku refused to nominate him.
After PDP has zoned its running mate to south-south, attention was shifted to the ruling APC to see how it would pick its own candidate. For the meantime, the party has submitted the name of Ibrahim kabiru Masari who was the party’s welfare secretary, when Adam Oshiomale was the national chairman of the party.
It is also reported that,labour party (LP), NNPP and other political parties have submitted their list. This is a good omen. As the 2023 general election continues to elicit hoopla and excitement, so also the knotty issue of selection or nomination of running mates, particularly the ruling APC. With the emergency of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as APC presidential candidate, the party is totally confused on who should be his running mate. While Orji uzo Kalu, the former governor of Abia state, in an interview granted to media advised the party to pair Tinubu with Muslim running mate, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), in a statement signed and release by its Secretary, warned the danger for toeing such dangerous path. It is unarguably to state, since the return of democracy, the position of president and vice president are being shared among the adherent of two dominant faith in the country(Muslim/Christian). The country’s missed a golden opportunity in June 12 1992, when Chief moshood Abiola,a Yoruba Muslim who picked Babagana Kingibe a kanuri man won the election but annulled by military administration of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. The sad incidence has continued to haunt the country. If June 12 election has not been annulled,the current heated debates about the proposed Muslim-Muslim ticket by APC would not have raised an eyes brown let alone generated tension.
Nigeria is a circular not theocracy state. The country is being governed by constitution .Ordinary,the issues of religious should be an individuals way of lives and have nothing to do with state,the manipulation of religious by our politicians to perpetuate themselves in power have done more harm than good to our fledging democracy. Over two decades of our civi rules,the country has been fragmented and polarized along our fault lines. Even government’s policies and programs are being viewed with ethnic and religion lense. There is deep suspicious between the two religious. I entirely apportion blames to our ruling elite who mixed religious with politics. That is the reason why, the country can not rule out hatre and mistrust among the diverse ethnic and religion composition sandwich together. Every leader that emerges is judged by his faith or the numbers of appointees from his religion or region.
In developed democracies,candidates are being assessed based on their qualities or parties manifestation not their faith or places they hail from. This is not so in Nigeria. While for equity and justice both the political parties should balance their tickets,there are other plumb position such as: Senate president, speaker, SGF and ministerial positions which can be brought to negotiation table. Vice president in Nigeria is merely spare tyre who becomes visible if he counts the support of his boss. Instead of heating up the politics with who will be the vice president,why can we vote the candidates based on their track record or parties manifestations?
Ibrahim Mustapha Pambegua
