BY Chidi Chima
Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are currently meeting in Victoria Island, Lagos, to decide on a running mater for Muhammadu Buhari, who was coasting home to victory in the party’s presidential primary, TheCable understands.
The meeting, which was put together by Bola Tinubu, APC national leader, has all the major party chieftains in attendance, including Buhari himself.
Rotimi Amaechi, governor of Rivers state, is highly favoured to pick the slot but Yemi Osibajo, a professor of law and former attorney-general of Lagos state under Tinubu, is also being considered.
Kayode Fayemi, former governor of Ekiti state, is also thought to be in the running, but he is said to have lost the trust of Tinubu after a series of incidents this year, leading to his failure to get re-elected as governor.
Fayemi was also reported to have antagonised Tinubu during the party’s convention in June, and the former governor of Lagos state is said to have developed cold feet at his possible candidature.
Tinubu is not particularly disposed to Amaechi because of his temperament, but Buhari had promised him the VP slot before he fully threw his financial weight behind the retired general, TheCable learnt.
Babatunde Fashola, governor of Lagos state, was highly favoured to be running mate but the issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket effectively threw him out of the equation.
Other south-west APC governors are all Muslims, making it politically complicated to pick any of them.
Age: 49
State: Rivers
Education: BA English studies and literature (University of Port Harcourt)
Political experience: Speaker, Rivers house of assembly (1999-2007); governor, Rivers (2007 till date)
The case for: Could be spoiler to Jonathan in Rivers, which has four million votes and has traditionally been an electoral pot of gold for PDP; Has invested heavily in Buhari’s campaign and is on good terms with the APC presidential candidate; Loved in many parts of the north for his open opposition to Jonathan; Has a good record of achievements in Rivers.
The case against: Not likely to woo south-south and south-east where Jonathan is expected to hold sway as “home favourite”; South-west voters may not be too enthusiastic at the polls with no Yoruba on the ticket; Considered to be too combustible to be a loyal and calm deputy to a strong-willed person like Buhari.
TheCable odds: 9/10 to be picked as running mate
Age: 55
State: Lagos
Education: Bachelor of law (University of Lagos); master’s degree (London School of Economics)
Political experience: Lagos attorney-general and commissioner for justice (1999-2007)
For: Intellectual, professor of law and senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN); highly respected as man of integrity; pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God and could assuage “fundamentalist” suspicion of Buhari; a legal brain behind the Tinubu government in 1999-2007.
Against: Lack of electoral experience; name recognition highly constrained; Naming a pastor not an automatic guarantee of Christian votes.
TheCable odds: 6/10 to be picked as running mate
Age: 49
State: Ekiti
Education: Degrees in history, politics and international relations from the Universities of Lagos and Ife in Nigeria; PhD in war studies (King’s College, University of London).
Political experience: Ekiti governor (2010-2014)
For: Former governor who has national name-recognition; a Christian from the south-west to counter fundamentalism feelings about Buhari; good performer as governor; intellectual; calm and mature politician.
Against: Having lost Ekiti election, electoral value in question; not in the good books of Tinubu, who calls the shots in the south-west.
TheCable odds: 5/10 to be picked as running mate
Olawale Edun, 49, former Lagos commissioner for finance (1999-2004), B.Sc (Economics), University of London; M.Sc (Economics), University of Sussex.
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