Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has said the ongoing agitation to select vice presidential candidates for major political parties based on faith was needless, noting election is about numbers.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on the now contentious issue, the governor cautioned the agitators to refrain from bringing ethnicity and religion into public discourse.
He said in elections what matters is the ability of a political party to attract votes to defeat an opposing party, adding that governance should not be used as an instrument to further create division in the country.
He said, “Spread is very important to be able to attract votes. So the decision of who becomes your running mate, if I were the candidate, what will inform it is what will I do as an action that will enable me to get the kind of votes I’m looking for because the ultimate goal is to win the election”.
“So maybe I’ll start from the nomination, ethnicity, or followership. In this business of democracy I think numbers are what is very important. And there are certain things as a nation, we should not bring to the public discourse, those things that are capable of creating divisiveness against national unity should not be encouraged.
“It does not mean that I will not remember that I come from a place but I must also be cautious and careful how to use where I come from in taking national decisions. That is very important.”