2023 Presidency: VP politics and echoes of exclusive primaries | The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News

• APC Dodges, As PDP Begs For Unity

The politics of working mate choice within the main political events have given an inkling of how the 2023 Presidential contest can be fought. Governing All Progressives Congress (APC) and its rival predominant opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have proven in additional methods than one which they symbolize the 2 sides of the identical coin.

    
During the 2015 common elections, APC handed down a stunning defeat to the ruling PDP, displacing it not solely on the Presidential stage, but additionally overtaking its majority holding within the quantity of seats occupied on the bi-cameral federal legislature in Abuja.
   
Three years in the past, APC confirmed its superior electoral clout by narrowly defeating PDP once more and additionally occupying majority seats within the Senate and House of Representative chambers of the National Assembly. Despite the challenged outcomes, the 2019 ballot threw up recent considerations in each APC and PDP in regards to the subsequent election that might usher within the post-Buhari period.
   
Nothing uncovered the similarities between the 2 events than the processes resulting in the emergence of their presidential commonplace bearers, specifically, the use of American foreign money to beneficiate conference delegates.
   
Intriguingly, each events’ straw polls yielded two former allies, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. But, whereas Alhaji Atiku and Tinubu shared platforms just like the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and APC, they differ on Atiku’s membership of PDP, the place he served as Vice President and presidential candidate for the second time.
    
However, having emerged commonplace bearers of APC and PDP for the 2023 presidential ballot, the very fact of each political leaders’ non secular persuasion and ethnic background have thrown new challenges within the choice of their working mates.
    
It is that this search of working mates that introduced again the inner politics, particularly the problem of zoning, which preceded their emergence. Within the governing APC, the favored temper within the occasion, previous to the June 6-8 particular conference that threw up Tinubu, was the plot to assist a Southern Christian candidate.
 
Conversely, PDP needed to introduce sophistry to rationalise its choice to give attention to the flexibility and capability to win the election moderately than obeying the occasion’s constitutional provision for zoning and nationwide conference of energy rotation between the North and South.
   
Consequently, the politics of Vice Presidential candidate choice, which roiled the 2 events, appears to stem from the variation of the unique concept that outlined conversations resulting in the events’ primaries. For occasion, had APC produced a Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Rotimi Amaechi or Governor Kayode Fayemi as its presidential flag bearer, the problem of whether or not the ticket wouldn’t have elicited the Muslim/Muslim controversy.
  
Then, for PDP, had Rivers State governor, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, taken up Atiku’s problem to drop his presidential aspiration on the premise of zoning if solely it’s micro-zoned to Southeast, Peter Obi, the 2019 Vice Presidential candidate wouldn’t haven’t left the occasion. Choosing a presidential working mate would have been simpler.

Political Sagacity Versus Political Arithmetic
THE flamboyant Southeast politician and former President of Senate, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, it was that said: “It takes political sagacity to fathom the political arithmetic.”

    
At the construct as much as the 2003 common election, when he was chosen as General Muhammadu Buhari’s working mate, Okadigbo delivered that historic speech in a daring try to underscore the criticality of rotational Presidency or zoning to Nigeria’s unity and stability.
     
At the purpose, then President Olusegun Obasanjo had repudiated efforts by some 16 PDP governors to have the second Republic Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, on the Presidential ticket with Vice President Atiku Abubakar as his working mate.
     
According to the 16 governors, led by the then Delta State governor, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, the plan was to make sure that after Southeast occupies the Presidency for 4 years, the baton can be handed over to Atiku from Northeast. From there, the Northwest will occupy the subsequent 4 years earlier than it strikes again to South/South and then to North Central geopolitical zone.
    
The Ibori group believed that inside an area of 24 years, all of the six geopolitical zones would have produced the nation’s President, thereby limiting the allegations of marginalisation by some geo-political zones to enthrone peace and stability within the nation’s polity.
   
Okadigbo’s assertion was supposed to douse the fashion of his fellow Southeasterners, who castigated him for accepting to deputize the previous navy head of state, whose concepts had been seen as antithetical and diametrically against the liberal democratic beliefs he propounds.
    
Nonetheless, Okadigbo proved that the steadiness between North and South was not solely wanted to win elections, but additionally a mandatory nation-constructing conference to ensure a way of belonging, particularly by the workplace of Vice President.
    
It may very well be recalled that the problem of Presidential working mate was half of the silent elements that militated towards the election of Chief M. Okay. O Abiola in 1993, when he reportedly spurned then navy President Ibrahim Babangida’s counsel to a decide a Christian, Comrade Pascal Bafyau, as his working mate as a substitute of Atiku Abubakar or Ambassador Babagana Kingibe.
  
It was potential that the navy with the extent of intelligence out there to it, along with patriotic considerations, knew how delicate the problem of non secular sensibilities is within the nation and tried its greatest to not inflame passions.

Jumping The Hurdle
ALTHOUGH on paper, it appears the 2023 Presidential election can be a straight battle between the 2 events, it is just in APC that the problem of Muslim/Muslim ticket has change into a problem.
  
For the 2 different platforms, which presidential candidates are laying claims to a aggressive outing, Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP) and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), the problem of choosing presidential runingmates doesn’t appear acute.

   
For occasion, the NNPP commonplace bearer, Kwankwaso, disclosed that his working mate, who is anticipated to come back from the South, can be a Christian. Kwankwaso disclosed that his occasion had been engaged in consultations to decide on his working mate, including {that a} committee was set as much as “help get the best Nigerian, who will be a Christian from the Southern part of the country as the Vice-Presidential candidate of our party.”
 
“We would get someone that is widely accepted in the Southern part of the country as my running-mate. I am sure they would come with their own benefits to be added to the NNPP for the success of the party. And, when we come together, no candidate of the APC or the PDP would be able to defeat us,” Kwankwaso declared.
    
The choice of Atiku’s working mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, didn’t come simple, though sources disclosed that the Delta State governor was promised the place, which led him to shelve his presidential aspiration. Atiku was mentioned to have concluded that within the gentle of calls for by Southeast that it was their flip to provide the PDP presidential candidate, if he wins the first an individual from South/South can be his working mate.
  
There are considerations that Okowa’s emergence may spark new recriminations inside the occasion given the flowery screening processes that preceded his unveiling by Atiku. Various committees had been set as much as zero in on a befitting candidate to pair up with Atiku on the PDP presidential ticket.
    
Intriguingly, after the committee members voted 16 to three in favour incumbent Rivers State governor, Wike, who got here second throughout the presidential major, the Presidential candidate introduced Okowa because the one which met the standards set for the place.
  
Some stakeholders have criticised the tactic adopted in choice of PDP working mate, simply as Wike’s supporters allege that it was all a set as much as shame the Rivers State governor, particularly after creating the impression {that a} real search was being made when the candidate already knew his working mate.
   
But, PDP nationwide chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, denied that there was a balloting that favoured Wike, stressing nevertheless that the occasion advisable three candidates to Atiku for his consideration. 
   
Earlier, whereas unveiling Okowa, Atiku famous, “party unity is critical not only for us to prosecute a winning campaign, but also to provide good governance that our country seriously deserves and our people earnestly yearn for.”
  
He said: “With the convention behind us, we have arrived at the stage for me to pick a running mate, because this is a joint ticket. I am very happy to announce today that I have reached a decision on that.
    
“In arriving at the decision, I held wide consultations with various stakeholders in our party, including our Governors, National Working Committee, Board of Trustees, and other leaders to seek their inputs and their wisdom.
     
“In these consultations, I made clear that my running mate would have the potential to succeed me at a moment’s notice, that is, a President-in-waiting. In other words, the person must have the qualities to be President.”
  
Yet, no sooner had the PDP presidential candidate made his remarks than some stakeholders grumbled, recalling how he (Atiku) not solely promised to serve for only one time period, however hand over to any individual from Southeast.
  
Speaking on Arise Television programme, the chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, High Chief Obiora Okonkwo, defined that there was want to succeed in an understanding with a South/South PDP Vice President to commit to at least one time period with out needing to contest the Presidency in 2027.
  
Opinions are divided on why Atiku determined to select his working mate from South/South after he had chosen his deputies from Southeast in his two earlier contests. While some mentioned the previous Vice President was irked by Southeast politicians, others held that it was a technique to undercut the Labour Party’s candidate’s vote financial institution.
    
Chairman of the PDP vice presidential screening committee, Chief Tom Ikimi, mentioned Okowa was chosen as a result of “he is intelligent, physically fit and level-headed,” simply because the occasion’s National Organising Secretary, Mallam Umar Bature, disclosed that Okowa was screened as a substitute of Wike, as a result of of the necessity to guard towards the Bayelsa State expertise, when the shortage of qualification led to invalidation of the governorship ticket. 
    
However, in a comment, the chairman of PDP BOT, Senator Walid Jibrin, mentioned Atiku’s selection of Okowa “must be generally accepted as the act of God, who gives life to who He wants.” While contending that PDP is bigger than any occasion in Nigeria, particularly APC, the BOT chairman urged all occasion devoted to simply accept the choice in good religion.
  
He mentioned each Muslims and Christians should come collectively to provide all assist to Atiku and his working mate and unite for PDP to take over from APC and President Muhammadu Buhari. 
    
“All Muslims and Christians must come together and forget any religious differences, regard Nigeria as one entity and vote for PDP to ensure that Atiku and Okowa are fully accepted and voted for,” Jibrin said.
    
Okowa in his acceptance speech addressed Atiku as Mr. President-in-ready and thanked him for “finding me worthy to be on this ticket. I do know that it was a very tough decision, even as you have spoken this afternoon. But, I thank God that amongst my very qualified colleagues, even those more qualified than myself, I found favour and I’m here today as the vice presidential candidate of the party.” 
    
For APC, the choice to submit the title of Katsina State governor, Aminu Bello Masari as Tinubu’s deputy, was seen as a intelligent design to beat the deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Yet, amid the Muslim/Muslim clamour that’s agitating the stakeholders, some occasion stalwarts are blaming the Northern governors for listening to the voice of US {dollars} as a substitute of a workable technique to make APC win with ease.

   
Some of the Northern governors are additionally mentioned to be peeved by Tinubu’s acceptance speech after the occasion’s presidential major. The former Lagos State governor had said: “Shame on those who were already building the coffin of APC. Shame on them. Our party is alive. They said we won’t be able to do the convention, but here we are.
   
“To you, the legislature, the Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan, I would have been a little upset, because you competed with me, but that is over now since you can easily lick your wounds.”
   
For gloating towards Lawan, APC leaders from the North insist that Tinubu, who indicated in Ekiti that his working mate can be a Christian from Northeast, should run with a Muslim, arguing that since he advisable Muslim/Muslim ticket to Buhari, nothing stops him from touring that route.
  
From the look of issues, till the substation window closes, it’s not simple to fathom how far the politics of VP choice will go to harm or assist the 4 frontline Presidential contenders.