Vice-Presidential candidates in the 2019 elections on Friday stressed the importance of the position of Vice President in Nigeria.
According to them, the office of the Vice President is not an inferior position but a very crucial one.
The candidates said this during the vice presidential debate put together by Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON).
Present at the debate were Ganiyu Galadima of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Khadijah Abdullahi-Iya of Alliance For New Nigeria (ANN), Professor Yemi Osinbajo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Peter Obi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Umma Getso of Young Progressives Party (YPP).
Galadima of ACPN said both offices require the same qualifications and although one is higher than the other, they are both of the same status.
“I don’t see the office of the Vice president as a spare tyre because it is the same qualification that the President of a country must have that the vice president must have.
“If the President is not around, it is the vice president that takes over and I want to tell you, you know how important the office of the Vice President is, that it is not inferior to the President.
“If the Vice President of a country takes any decision as acting President, the President of a country cannot legally go against that action,” he said.
The Vice Presidential candidate of ANN, Khadijah Abdullahi-Iya said the office of the Vice President is not one to be taken for granted. She said the position is essential for nation building.
“Being in the position of the Vice President of a nation is not something that should be taken lightly because a nation builder is that person who sees a problem and resolves it. The position of the Vice-President of Nigeria is an office which must be taken seriously.”
Vice-President Osinbajo reacting to the question of the importance of the role of the Vice-President said “I’m sure those who know me very well know that my hair was not this grey when I started out in 2015. It has been tasking (being the vice-President). It has also been an incredibly rewarding experience.”
Osinbajo added that the role of the Vice President is the role of the chief adviser to the President. According to him, the role of the Vice President very closely mirrors the position of the President.
“The vice president in Nigeria is different from the vice president in other countries because unlike other countries, even countries that have a similar constitution, our constitution specify the role of the Vice President.
“The Vice-President is the Chairman of National Economic Council (NEC) that is the council where all the governors of the states meet every month and the Vice President chairs it. That is a constitutional role. The vice-president is also the Chairman of the National Council on Privatisation (NCP). The Vice-President also statutory chairman of about 22 different parastatal and agencies and these are all defined by the law.
“So those who say the role of the vice-president is a spare tyre have it wrong,” he said.
Peter Obi in his reaction to the question of Vice-Presidents conflicting with their principal said, “I assure you, that won’t be the case. The Vice-President has a role and the role to me is the most critical because it has to do with the economy of this country.
Obi claimed that Nigeria’s economy is on its knees and not creating jobs.
“The Vice president is the one in charge of rebuilding this economy and making it work to be able to create jobs,” he said.
Candidate of the YPP in response to how she will handle the position of being Vice-President if she has a principal that hardly delegate authority even when the constitution stipulates said the YPP gives priority to women.
“Professor Kingsley Mogahalu’s presidency is about giving 50-50 to women to participate in his government in all offices. The 50-50 gender equity is a priority in YPP and Moghalu’s presidential candidacy.”