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The Governor of Plateau state Simon Lalong and Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto are being considered as possible running mates for the APC flag bearer in the 2022 Presidential elections Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set a June 17th, 2022 deadline for presidential candidates including Atiku and Tinubu to name their running mates.
Sources familiar with the matter told MoneyCentral that the APC is sensitive to the issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket which has the potential to further polarize the country along religious lines.
“Lalong is clearly the front runner but Hasaan Kukah is also being looked at as a unifier as well as for the positive role he played in bringing down tensions during the unfortunate blasphemy killing in Sokoto.”
Kukah quelled rumors that he was hurt after protests rocked parts of Sokoto city over the detention of two persons linked to the gruesome killing of Deborah Samuel. He commended the security forces for promptly rising to the occasion to prevent further damage at our facilities, adding that no life was lost.
The Bishop appealed to Christians then to remain law abiding and pray for the return of normalcy.
The source told MoneyCentral that the APC is consulting wide after many politicians, civil society and groups like the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) warned the leading political parties to avoid the thought of Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket in 2023.
Lalong is the APC Governor of Plateau State. Atiku Abubakar of the PDP won Plateau State in the 2019 Presidential elections with 548,665 (PDP) votes to 468,555 (APC).
If Lalong were to get the ticket, it would be a way for the APC to secure votes of Christians in the North of Nigeria.
The current Governor of Kaduna State Nasir- El Rufai and Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano State are also top contenders to become Tinubu’s running mate, assuming the APC chooses to go with a Muslim-Muslim ticket, MoneyCentral understands.