The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Monday, said the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has not picked his running mate because he is still consulting.
Not mentioning the issue of religion which has formed much of the public debate among Nigerians, Akeredolu centred his argument on zone, loyalty and the area with the highest votes, as he listed the factors that have made it difficult for the APC flagbearer to pick his running mate.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, the governor said, “The circumstance Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu has found himself now, that’s a major of what I’ll call ground-wetting. For instance, he’ll not pick from the South. So he’s left to make a choice from the North.
“Because he’s from the South he won’t pick from South-East or South-South, because he’s from the South-West he has to pick from the North.
“And when you look at the North, a lot of factors will have to come into play. Some will say ‘pick from North West’ But North West, that’s where the President now comes from.
“Will they have a second bite whether as vice or anything? Some will argue ‘why not pick from the North East?’ That’s a factor to be considered.
“Others can argue, ‘why not pick from North Central?’ So, another factor to be considered is ‘okay, where do you get votes?’
“So many factors, but under these circumstances, I think he is probably left with North Central and North East probably because so many factors can come into play.
“So, in determining who you pick at the end of the day, you have to look at loyalty. Will this person be loyal or will he be there to undermine you? Those are issues you’ll have to consider very seriously,” he added.
