Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, has said the move by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to feature a Muslim-Muslim for the 2023 presidential election should not be condemned by  Nigerians.

Uzodinma said it was never stated in the Constitution that religion is a factor in choosing the President or Vice President.

He added that the APC was more concerned about “United Nigeria”, where a president would be adjudged by his capacity to deliver democratic dividends, and develop the country to look like other parts of the Western world.

The governor said these while speaking to State House correspondents after the APC governors met with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Tuesday.

Uzodinma further stated that Nigerians should be concerned about having a president who will represent every tribe, religion, and denomination.

He reiterated that it is not the duty of the governors to select the APC’s vice presidential candidate, noting that the party’s standard bearer would look at the local characteristics and factors that would make him win election in choosing his running mate.

Governor Uzodinma said: “There is nowhere in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where religion is a factor or characteristics as to who becomes the President or who becomes the running mate.

“But 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.

“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 decision also 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 factors, 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.”

The governor continued: “And in the business of presidential primaries, there is no election for a vice presidential candidate. The business there is just to elect a candidate.

“In that ballot paper there is no room for delegates to vote for who will be your running mate. So that explains why it is not a decision for the public for the people. It is a decision for the candidate.

“The first thing to do is to let the candidate, now a candidate as emerged. Now the candidate will factor into consideration some ideas and issues like how to create a spread; 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.

“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 discuss, those things that are capable creating divisiveness against national unity should not be encouraged.

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“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,” Governor Uzodinma stated.

Speaking on the zoning of the presidential ticket, Uzodinma said the South-East was not restricted to produce the vice presidential candidates of political parties for the 2023 general election.

The governor said the South-East geopolitical zone called for the zoning of the parties’ presidential ticket to the zone, saying it was proper for the zone to ask for it.

He said: “South-East is not meant for running mate. What we wanted as zone was to be the president of Nigeria and I was convinced that it was proper for us to ask for it.

“But in this business is partisan democracy, the minority will have their view but the majority will have their way.

“In the wisdom of the delegates that elected presidential candidate. A candidate has emerged, our party APC will come together, work for our candidate and produce the next president.”

Uzodinma added: “When I appeared on Channels in the morning of the convention I told you that one of the conventions governing our polity in Nigeria is power shift. That power comes to the north and goes to the South.

“When power came to the South, in 1999, we seeded it to South-West and all of us voted as Nigerians.

“The next time power came to the South, it went to South-South and all of us voted as Nigerians. We were expected that now that power came back to the south, it will go to South-East but this is not a decision that a geopolitical zone alone or do.

“No geopolitical zone can become a President without the participation of other political zones. So when you don’t get the cooperation, you begin to find that why and you work towards getting the cooperation next time, because it has to be united country for you to become a president.

“We’re not talking about President of South-East, President South-South or President of South-West, we are talking of the President of Nigeria.

“For a Southerner to become a President he needs to vote for North, for northerner to become the president he needs the vote from the South.

“In our constitution two-third of the states you must have at least minimum of 25% votes registered in those states.

“Today, so we’ll look at the guidelines. We’ll look at the rules. Our country is a rule driven country. And the grand norm is the constitution of the country. So we’re working with it.

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“All we’re saying is that for equity, for fairness for justice, that there’s certain I’m sentiments to be considered when we’re taking national decisions but we don’t think that is enough to disorganize our country. We must move forward,” Governor Uzodinma said.

The governor further expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the APC national convention for the presidential primaries, saying some critics, who had predicted crisis in the aftermath of the convention, were disappointed after the primaries held at Eagle Square in Abuja

“APC is a very robust and strong party that will stand all storms. contrary to the expectations of some people in some quarters, I was very confident that to organize a successful convention.

“The last convention that ushered in the national executive of our great party there were some ugly expectations that they would be crisis but to the disappointment or some expectations, there was none, and national officers of the party emerged and we had a very successful convention.

“This time around, They were also expectations from some quarters that that will be the end of APC. But I was very confident knowing fully well that the APC is the party to beat in Nigeria and it was that reason that greeted the convention was very convenient to have a successful outing.

“And of course, in recent history, I’ve not seen a very colorful, smooth and very successful convention, like last APC convention for which you were witnesses to. so we’re ready to go. Any other thing now is post convention discussion which is going into our campaign.

“Today all of us are going to Ekiti to flag off our grand finale of the gubernatorial campaign of APC that would elect a new governor in Ekiti State,” the governor stated.

The Star