Can Tinubu wins with Muslim-Muslim Ticket?

The All Progressive Congress Primary election has come and gone and the choice of the running mate to the Presidential Candidate of the party has become a debate in the Country. Tinubu’s being from the South is expected to choose his running mate from the Northern part of the Country a Muslim dominated region and political gladiators from this area are advancing for Muslim Vice counterpart declaring that such formula will facilitate easy victory for APC in the next 2023 general election.

This promulgation in no doubt has generated mixed reaction by stakeholders across various sections of the country. Many liberal Muslims, Christian groups and prominent Christian figures, political pundits have condemned the idea saying such is not healthy in a country presently ravaged by Islamic terror group like ISWAP, ISIS and Boko Haram whose core mission is to suppress other religions and to make Nigeria an Islamic Country. This school of thought however noted that execution of this proponent will undermine Nigeria being seen as a secular State.

Also, political pundits on the contrary however averred that the faith of choice of the Vice President is immaterial as wining is what All Progressive Congress. They opined that the choice of a Muslim Vice President from Northern part of the country will certainly give the needed victory to Ahmed Bola Tinubu than a Christian political figure from the area and therefore canvass for its acceptability. They further justify APC Muslim-Muslim Ticket to the Christian-christian, muslim-muslim leadership during Gowon and Buhari’s military era respectively.

The ongoing controversy thereof prompts me to lend my voice on the current political discourse as regards whether the faith of the choice of Vice President to APC Presidential Candidate in the next election is a deciding factor. Yes, I agreed that Muslim faithful dominated the northern part of the country but larger votes from this Muslim faithful have and had never been a winning factor and should not also be seen as a basis for winning in any general election as the latter school of thought had made us to believe.

It is on record that this is not the first time of having a Muslim Candidate in a general election. Muslim Candidate has contested against their Christian faithful in the time past and being a Muslim was not a winning factor under Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan. General Buhari who came from Muslim northern dominated region lost his three elections to the duo. Muslim factors could not save him from losing in spite that he pulls larger votes from Muslim dominated States in the Northern region.

Does anyone remember why Buhari could not secure the needy winning then? He was perceived by Christian community as Islamic extremist whose mission was to islamise the country then. Just because of this insinuation, the Christian communities in all part of the country always gang up against him in every election despite enjoying large votes from his Muslim brothers whom on the other angle see him as one that will advance their interest.

Then, if Buhari could lose all these elections on account of hear-say by my Christian brothers and Sisters how are we sure such will not befall Tinubu if he goes ahead with the choice of muslim-muslim ticket? I am not a prophet of doom, what befalls Buhari in these past elections will equally replicate itself if APC presents muslim-muslim ticket. With this, the Christian community will be disenchanted by the execution of the idea. They will see it as insult to them and the option will be to vote Presidential Candidate who has one of their own as vice in the next election.

Should Tinubu sticked with Muslim-Muslim ticket, the so call large votes of the Muslim faithful will be shared proportionally by Tinubu and Atiku and their winning will then be determined by one with larger vote’s percentage from Christian faithful. With APC Muslim-Muslim Ticket, there is every possibility that many Christian will vote against him and this will be at the favour of PDP. They will vote PDP who might certainly have a Christian vice Presidential candidate. This will be a risky task for Bola Ahmed Tinubu and I doubt if he will put his political ambition on the line by allowing himself to be used for this costly experiment.

Stephen Ojate is a Journalist and public affairs commentator writes from Abuja. He is on whatsapp with phone number 09075716236 and reachable via phone call via 09056202714.