SOUTH-WEST and South-South zonal caucuses might be headed for a showdown over the vice presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as indication emerged that General Muhammadu Buhari, heavily-favoured to emerge the party’s presidential standard-bearer, will have the final say on that choice.
In an interview with The Cable, Buhari further heightened the suspicion that Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, might be close to the vice presidential ticket than others, by saying that he was not opposed to a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Nigerian Tribune had exclusively reported Fashola’s endorsement by the South-West caucus of the party and the likelihood of his emergence ahead another potential VP candidate, Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, due to the number of votes each of them could possibly attract to the expected ticket.
A member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) from the South, however, told the Nigerian Tribune that the Fashola endorsement would be frustrated, because the national leadership of the party had kept reinforcing the fact that the party would not field a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
The national officer, himself a Muslim, had queried: “Is Fashola no longer a Muslim because their agenda now suits him? Muslim-Muslim ticket would not work. From within, we would frustrate it, regardless of the packaging they are now trying to do for the governor.”
With Amaechi also said to be pulling his weight, especially in his state, it was gathered last night that the final pick might be left for Buhari to decide, since he would be the one to work with the said VP.
However, the reported deal that led to Fashola’s endorsement by the South-West caucus of the party may have run into a hitch, with Fashola’s camp allegedly throwing its support behind another aspirant other than Akinwunmi Ambode in the Lagos APC contest.
It was gathered that the VP ticket was to get Fashola’s support, which a party chieftain described as crucial, for Ambode, believed to have been propped up by the camp of former governor, Senator Bola Tinubu.
However, three other aspirants in the Lagos APC race were being allegedly linked to Fashola in the three senatorial district, with a source saying that “he (Fashola) is being politically wise, because he knows Oga (Tinubu) very well.”
Fashola is said to have become a crucial factor in the race, due to the expiration of local government chairman tenure tomorrow, with the governor expected to play a prominent role in the appointment of the caretaker chairmen that would coordinate the primaries if other aspirants insisted on open contest.
As of last night, an outgoing council chairman in Lagos Central senatorial district, who is eyeing another elective position, told the Nigerian Tribune that nothing had been agreed on their replacement, because the governor was not ready to let go easily as it used to be.
Fashola’s sympathisers, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune, described the running mate endorsement as a ploy to get him out of the Lagos equation and asking him to leave the real for what is not sure.
“If they are sure of what they are saying, let them give him a senatorial ticket currently with Oga’s wife first and if Buhari emerges and picks him, then we will see what happens.
“How can you ask a performing governor to go for what is not certain, when his mates who are even poor in performance are being given automatic Senate ticket. The endorsement is diversionary and their game is well known,” they said.
Source: #Tribune_News.
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