2023: VP Candidates And Available Possibilities

OGU BUNDU NWADIKE, M.A

The political parties that have significant media presence with regard to the preparations for the 2023 general elections, going by the Presidential level, are the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP).

After the dramatic, elected, negotiated, selected, and bought presidential tickets, the next bridge that the serious parties are struggling to cross is the vice president/running mate bridge.
And that has raised the very contentious issues of the ethnic and religious inclinations, affinities and slants of the potential running mates.
Characteristically, there’s a North-South-North rotation and zoning arrangement supported by the stipulations of the Nigerian Constitution.
But the Constitution is silent on the geopolitical zones, the ethnic groups, and the religious groups, with regards to where the presidential candidate or his running mate should come from.
That means, such critical considerations are reserved for the respective political parties as their internal issues and affairs.
Incidentally, the developments in the preparations for the 2023 general elections has  created questions over from where the running mates of the various presidential candidates should emerge.
So far four options are available. Muslim-Muslim. Muslim-Christian. Christian-Muslim, and Christian-Christian.
A school of thought has queried why no consideration is made of non-Muslim and non-Christian, and atheistic religious adherents.
If that were to have been tenable, there would have been a cacophony of running mates. Muslim-Muslim. Muslim-Christian. Christian-Muslim, Christian-Christian. Muslim-Ogboni. Christian-Ogboni. Muslim-Animist. Christian-Animist. And a whole world religious combinations.
But for obvious reasons, the Christian and the Muslim faiths have for endless centuries dominated the concept of religious beliefs in most parts of the world, including Nigeria.
Hence, the obtainable compass revolves around Muslim-Muslim. Muslim-Christian. Christian-Muslim, and Christian-Christian possibilities.
The APC has Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as  presidential candidate. He is from the South; precisely the Southwest. He is a Muslim. Some running mate possibilities are available for APC and Tinubu. South-South. South-North. Muslim-Muslim. Muslim-Christian. They must weigh a lot of factors in making the final decision for their own good and benefits.
The PDP has Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidate. He’s from the North; precisely the Northeast. He’s a Muslim. Some running mate possibilities are available for PDP and Atiku. North-North. North-South. Muslim-Muslim. Muslim-Christian. They must weigh a lot of factors in making the final decision for their own good and benefits.
The LP has Mr. Peter Obi as Presidential candidate. He’s from the South; precisely the Southeast. He’s a Christian. Some running mate possibilities are available for LP and Obi. South-South. South-North. Christian-Christian. Christian-Muslim. They must weigh a lot of factors in making the final decision for their own good and benefits.
The preponderant position of pundits is that APC would do better with a South-North and Muslim-Christian combination. PDP will do better with a North-South and Muslim-Christian combination. LP will do better with a South-North and Christian-Muslim combination.
Yet, the final say is reserved for the party. The only fear is that a wrong combination will certainly affect the fortune of the party in the 2023 presidential elections. 
Man proposes but God disposes. There’s a way that seemeth good to man, but the end is disastrous. So says the Holy Bible! He who has ears, let him hear! He who knows how to pound should pound in the mortar. But he who doesn’t know how to pound should pound on his ground! Thank you.