Hope Uzodimma, governor of Imo state, says numbers play a
key role in the ability of a political party to win elections.
Since Bola Tinubu won the presidential ticket of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), there have been concerns about the geo-political
zone and religion of his running mate.
Commenting on the controversy over a potential Muslim-Muslim
ticket, Uzodimma said “spread is very important to be able to attract votes”.
The governor spoke on the matter on Tuesday while briefing
journalists at the presidential villa.
“Spread is very important to be able to attract votes. So
the decision of who becomes your running mate, if I were the candidate, what
will inform it is what will I do as an action that will enable me to get the
kind of votes I’m looking for because the ultimate goal is to win the
election,” he said.
“So maybe I’ll start from the nomination, ethnicity, or
followership. In this business of democracy I think number is what is very important.
And there are certain things as a nation, we should not bring to the public
discourse, those things that are capable of creating divisiveness against
national unity should not be encouraged.
“It does not mean that I will not remember that I come from
a place but I must also be cautious and careful how to use where I come from in
taking national decisions. That is very important.”
Uzodimma said Nigerians should not focus on the religious
and geopolitical leanings of Tinubu’s running mate, but rather be interested in
who can deliver.
“We are looking for united Nigeria, where governance will be
the issue, where a president would be adjudged by his capacity to deliver
democratic dividends, develop Nigeria to look like other parts of the western
world where democracy is working,” he said.
“I don’t want us to reduce governance in Nigeria to certain
things that will encourage divisiveness, rather, we should be a united Nigeria,
be our brother’s keepers, have a president of Nigeria that will be a president
representing every tribe, every religion, every denomination. And when we get
there, we will cross the bridge.”
The governor also said it is the responsibility of Tinubu to
pick his running mate.
President Muhammadu Buhari today, met with APC governors to
discuss the choice of running mate for Tinubu.
Last week, Tinubu’s campaign organisation had said the
Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), a body of APC governors, is at liberty to
pick a running mate for the presidential candidate.
Speaking on the matter, Uzodimma said: “The decision to
choose a running mate does not reside with any of us the governors. It is the
presidential candidate that will look at the local characteristics and every
factor — political and apolitical — that will make him win his election and
take the decision. So it’s not a decision that we will sit here and take for
the candidate.
“If he chooses a governor so be it, we will support it. For
now, we are no longer talking about who becomes running mate and who is not
running mate. I have told you whose decision it is.
“The next thing as
party leaders now and opinion leaders is for us to rise, mobilise the quality
and get members of our party to commit to a successful election by 2023. So
that our president that is leaving will also be handing over to our president
of APC, that is our preoccupation now
how to win the election.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has
fixed June 17 as the deadline for political parties to submit their list of
candidates for — president, vice-president, senate and house of representatives
— ahead of the 2023 general election.
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