The All Progressives Congress (APC) has officially announced the choice of a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, as the running mate of the presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari.
Professor Osinbajo, who served as Justice Commissioner during the tenure of former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was picked by the party’s leadership ahead of other persons that had indicated interest in the position.
Osinbajo, a Christian and a professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is said to be a prefered candidate of the party’s leader, Tinubu.
There have been intense debate about the choice of who will be Buhari’s running mate since the emergence of the former Head of State as the APC’s flag bearer last Thursday.
His choice may not be unconnected with the need to avoid fielding two Muslims as the party’s presidential flag bearers.
Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi; his Lagos State counterpart, Babatunde Fashola; the immediate former Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi ; Senator Chris Ngige and former National Chairman of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, had previously been tipped as likely candidate for the vice presidential slot.
With the choice of Professor Osinbajo, the issue of a Muslim-Muslim ticket may have been laid to rest, something that the party had fought hard to avoid after a former leader, Mr Olusegun Obasanjo asked the party to jettison any plan to field two Muslims as their flag bearer in the presidential election that will hold on February 14, 2015.
All political parties have till the end of Wednesday to submit the names of their candidates that will take part in the 2015 general elections to the Independent National Electoral commission.
