Running Mate Saga: I Once Had A Bitter Taste Of A Wrong Deputy- Akeredolu Advises Tinubu To Choose Right

Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu has maintained his neutrality on whom to deputize the presidential Candidate of the All Progressive Congress, Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 general election.

Since the emergence of Tinubu as APC presidential Flagbearer, his choice of running mate has become a major issue within the party and country at large.

Tinubu, a Muslim devotee from the southwest is expected to pick his running mate from the North.

Due to the religion sensitivity and current situation across the country, the APC candidate is expected to pick a Northern christian to balance the equation and reduce the tention in the land. It will also help in rebuilding the confidence of Christians in the federal government.

However, whom to pick has been a major question from the region. Presently, a Muslim from Katsina State has filled up the space as placeholder pending the period an appropriate running mate is picked.

Speaking on the scenario on the Monday edition of Channels TV Politics Today, Akeredolu was of the opinion that competence is key in the selection of who will be the running mate.

According to the governor, there are several things to consider before the decision on running mate is taken. He identified competence, loyalty, regional balancing and others as major things to consider.

The governor noted that he once made a choice of wrong deputy governor in his first term and the mistake left him with a bitter experience. Aketi who has been picking his running mate from the Southern senatorial district of Ondo had a misunderstanding with his deputy, Agboola Ajayi in 2020.

In the heat of that misunderstanding, Ajayi while still in office defected to the People’s Democratic Party where he contested the party’s governorship primary and lost the ticket to a more experienced aspirant, Eyitayo Jegede. He also moved to Zenith Labour Party where he effortlessly picked the ticket and ran for the governorship election.

He was tagged as betrayal and deputy governor with inordinate ambition. The experience has remained a bitter pill for Akeredolu to swallow since then.

The governor explained that people in his shoe will understand what it means to pick a wrong person as a running mate.

Akeredolu maintained that either Muslim or Christian, all that is needed presently is to get somebody with capacity to deliver, bring Nigeria out of the present doldrum and rebuild confidence in Nigerians about the federal government.

The governor stated this while featuring as a guest on the Monday edition of Channels TV Politics Today.