Why Lalong won’t Make a Good VP -By Usama Gayyi

I’m not actually driven by religious extremism. Nor do I consider politicians based on their religious leanings. Politics shouldn’t be determined by one’s religion or region. When we look at politics through the prism of religion, then we do ourselves no justice. I understand that the APC’s presidential nominee, Bola Ahmed Tinubu is conflicted with the idea of picking a running mate.

Considering the fact that Nigeria is a multi-religious nation, people are suggesting that the VP slot of the APC should simply be handed over to a northern Christian. According to them, a Muslim-Muslim ticket is abominable in Nigerian politics. And some people are endorsing Lalong to go clinch the VP slot because his name appears among the top nominees for the vice presidential seat of the APC.

There’s something people are not aware of. It’s easy for people to say who should the APC pick as running mate to Tinubu. But do we just deem our favourite candidates right for such seat because of the blind love we have for them? Or should we only nominate a person by reason of his ethno-religious affiliation? These are critical questions which need not to be left unanswered. We all know that these aren’t the criteria for selecting a geniune leader.

Leaders are best chosen by how competent they really are. Competence goes beyond our myopic views. Another huge blunder we should avoid making is choosing a leader on account of his background. Now back to the equation. Is Lalong suitable for the vice presidential seat? Well, I don’t think so.

Lalong is the current Governor of Plateau State. One thing people ought to acknowledge before they consider him fit is his performance so far in the state he runs. What has he done that worth or attract public attention? His performances are all what must be examined before we leap to conclusion. Honestly, Simon Lalong hasn’t done that much that will earn him such a high position.

I’m not trying to de-market him, but for fairness sake, Lalong isn’t the right man for the job. A person whose Local Government Council is administered by tribal bigots doesn’t merit the title of a Governor, let alone aim for such higher position. If you aren’t from his tribe, you lose the chance of winning an election for credible offices in his LGC. I held from the same LGC as him, yet I can’t risk getting a mere indigene form.This is so because I’m not from his tribe. To even have myself appointed by the local authorities, I must have to renounce my pedigree.

He knows all this. As an incumbent governor who’s entrusted with the care of people of diverse beliefs and ethnicities, he supposed to have done something different. But, worst still, he chooses to go mum over such unfair treatment. He never talks about it. His silence isn’t golden. It either suggests his approval or his lackadaisical attitude towards that.

However, before his ascent to power, he had sworn to install a village head in Yelwa at the time of his campaign. Yelwa is a very popular village that contributed massively to his votes which saw his ascension from a dethroned speaker to a governor. The village is thrice the size of his hamlet and which is within a shouting distance from his. His first tenure ended without him making everything alright in that village. My people decided to trust him again by voting for him for the second term—thinking that he would redeem their precarious state. And now we are just a few months away from the expiration of his tenure, yet he remains uncommunicative and insufficiently active.

Lalong has failed the people who helped his rise to power. So, how would you wish a ruling governor who silently fuels tribal prejudices among his people to be singled out as a running mate for the party that has high chances of winning ?
I won’t be worried about any other person that will be cherry-picked as a running mate to Tinubu as long as he is capable and has good track records. It isn’t that I seem purely envious of Lalong. I just fear having a VP who has been speechless for the past seven years over the growing ethno-religious bigotry in the state he himself governs.