APC running mate slot ‘finally’ narrowed to Tinubu, Osibajo, Oshiomhole

After a long meeting in Lagos on Sunday night by south-west leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the choice of running mate to Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 presidential election has been narrowed down to Bola Tinubu, national leader of the party, and Yemi Osibajo, a professor of law and former attorney general of Lagos state.

However, if the south-west ─ which is expected to fill the slot ─ decides to cede it to the south-south, Adams Oshiomhole, governor of Edo state, will get the nod, TheCable has learnt from top party sources.

A source at the meeting told TheCable that further consultations need to be made because “we are yet to reach a definite conclusion… meetings have been ongoing since Friday and will continue in Abuja today”.

The source further said several criteria were discussed in trying to arrive at a suitable candidate: electoral pedigree, political experience, support base and name recognition.

However, it was also decided that the criteria could be waived to pick a “neutral candidate” who can then be fully supported by the machinery of APC in the south-western states.

He did not give details of all the candidates considered, but said Tinubu came first in the “suitable experience” category while Osibajo was the clear option in the “neutral” group.

But Oshiomhole would be considered if the south-west is unable to reach a consensus on the matter.

The Edo governor is seen as highly sellable because of his mass following through his labour constituency as well as his national appeal and intellectual capacity.

He speaks Hausa and Yoruba fluently, which could be of great value during the campaign.

Tinubu’s candidacy is likely to reawaken the issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket, but Osibajo and Oshiomhole are Christians.

Osibajo is a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, thought to be the second largest denomination in Nigeria after the Catholic church ─ but he is not considered a political heavyweight.

“Tinubu has demonstrated to everybody that he is not a bigot. His wife is a Christian and some of his children even go to church. More so, he championed the nomination of a Christian as the next governor of Lagos, working for the success of Akinwunmi Ambode in the APC primary despite opposition from fellow Muslims. With Tinubu, religious bigotry can never be an issue,” the source said.

Buhari told TheCable in an interview in October: “Nigerians will always uncover impossible room for manoeuvre for politicians. I had to face one of the governors during one of our party’s meetings [over the issue of religion]. “In 2003, I chose Chuba Okadigbo as my running mate. He was a Roman Catholic. He was an Igbo. In 2007, I picked Edwin Ume-Ezeoke. He was a Roman Catholic. He was an Igbo. And in 2010, I chose even a pastor. Pastor Tunde Bakare.

“Honestly, what do Nigerians want me to do? If they don’t believe I’m not a fundamentalist, what else can I do?”

Chibuike Amaechi, the governor of Rivers state, is also interested in the slot and has been a heavy financier of the Buhari bid, but his chances are not considered bright anymore.

It is still unclear when the vice-presidential candidate will be named, but the party has up till December 18 to submit the name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).