The Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, has expressed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) requires not only a candidate from the southern region but also a Christian representative to be its presidential candidate for the upcoming 2027 election.
Mohammed articulated this on Thursday, indicating that the PDP aims to avoid what he described as a misstep made by the All Progressives Congress (APC) when it selected a same-faith ticket for the 2023 presidential election.
“What I wish to convey is that we have not definitively selected or narrowed down our options regarding any individual. It is important for everyone to understand that the PDP remains open.
“It is open in such a way that it is up to the southerners to propose a candidate, and I humbly assert that we do not wish to replicate the error made by the APC,” he stated.
“We require a Christian from the South to rise as a presidential candidate, so that he can lead the majority of Christian southerners to select the majority Muslim vice president from the North, avoiding a situation similar to the one the APC encountered in 2023, where they chose a minority from the South and subsequently had to select a majority figure from the North, which resulted in the Muslim-Muslim issue. This did not take into account our diversity and the sentiments of our various communities, as we have not yet reached a point where we can disregard these considerations,” he further added.
“No, that is not our intention. I have gained insights from my experience working closely with the president during my tenure as the minister of the FCT, when we returned in 2011 to establish a government.
“The president should be afforded the opportunity to select his vice. I am not stepping back because I am preparing myself for the vice presidency.
“Certainly, if it aligns with the judgment of our party leaders and the presidential candidate to select me, I am prepared; however, if I am not chosen, I have publicly stated today that I am willing to support whoever the party or the presidential candidate from the South decides to nominate, provided that he is a better option than me.
President Bola Tinubu of the APC selected Kashim Shettima, a former governor of Borno State, to be his running mate for the 2019 presidential election.
However, this choice drew criticism from numerous Nigerians who opposed a same-faith ticket, as both Tinubu and Shettima are Muslims from the South and North, respectively.
The PDP has already designated its presidential ticket to the southern region of the country.
