Vice President Yemi Osibanjo has reportedly expressed his displeasure with his former boss and Presidential Candidate of the All Progressive Congress Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his choice of a fellow Muslim Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Osibanjo who condemned the move said it is not the in the best interest of the party and Nigeria at large.
The vice president stand was disclosed by a source within the presidency who pleaded anonymity.
According to the source, “Professor Osinbajo is opposed to this thing announced on Sunday, and his objections are well known both to the party and even the flagbearer himself.”
He recalled how that in 2014, before his selection as Buhari’s running mate Osibanjo also kicked the idea of a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
He was said to have explained to Tinubu that a Muslim-Muslim ticket would simply isolate Christians- a counsel which made President Buhari forfeit Tinubu as his running mate after emerging as the presidential candidate.
In the recent development, Osinbajo was said to have again adviced Tinubu as well as the leadership of APC to avoid an ‘unbalanced ticket’ describing it as untenable and an unnecessary risk.
He said, “The VP explained the logic, fairness and justice of a balanced ticket is unassailable. The argument that merit should be considered above a Muslim- Christian balance presents a false choice. It is not one or the other. You can get all the merit you want in a balanced ticket.
“The VP said anything short of a balanced ticket creates a needless tension and further aggravates some of the country’s fault-lines. But a balanced ticket certainly sends a positive signal.”
Following Sunday’s announcement of a Muslim-Muslim ticket, Truthlive.net gathered that there has been palpable political tensions within the party as some factions of the party have commenced fresh talks of political realignments.
Plans are reportedly ongoing to build a new coalition with Vice President Osinbajo in what is seen as an opportunity to offer a credible and faith-balanced option in next year’s presidential election adding that a meeting to explore such a possibility is now in the works.
The source noted that, “APC may have shot itself on the foot with this kind of ticket, and the tensions going on in the party and the country since the announcement was made is a bad thing.”