The stout opposition of Northern Christians to the Tinubu-Shettima Muslim-Muslim ticket is in line with the thinking of many Nigerians.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Christians of Northern extraction have risen in total rejection of the Muslim-Muslim arrangement of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that has produced former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu as the Presidential candidate and his erstwhile Borno counterpart, Senator Kashim Shettima as the running mate.
In rejecting the ticket, they described the ticket as a calculated agenda to economically and politically marginalise Northern Christians. They emphatically vowed that no Christian would vote for the present arrangement of the party
The decision was taken Friday at Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja during the APC Northern Christian Leaders Summit in conjunction with Christians from the north. It was attended by Christians drawn from the Nineteen Northern States,.
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Chairman of the event and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, in his speech, noted that the Muslim-Muslim ticket was an extension of the exclusionist agenda against Christians in the country, warning that the measure has the tendency to disrupt the peace and social development of the country. He argued that the Muslim-Muslim ticket remains part of the subterranean plot to Islamise the country.
Babachir who gave a detailed reference of the marginalisation of Christians in the APC National Working Committee (NWC), Federal executive council (FEC), state and federal owned institutions of learnings in the country, charged Christians in not only the north but the entire country not to be deceived by the antics of the APC leadership on issue, stressing that matters of religion cannot be overlooked the politics of the country.
He said, “We are not the ones that started this fight. APC started it. They should be ready to carry this cross. We are open to discussion with whoever discuss with chrustain community in good faith.”
Speaking in the same vein, former Speaker, House of Representatives who was the guest speaker, Yakubu Dogara dismissed as “hogwash” the argument that the choice of Shettima was based on consideration of competence rather than his religious leanings.
Dogara emphasised that despite his love for Tinubu, the argument that Christian votes would not count as that of the Muslims lacks conviction.
The stout opposition of Northern Christians to the APC Muslim-Muslim ticket is in line with the thinking of many Nigerians, even of the Muslim faith. Analysts see in the bold stance of the Northern Christians, the level of opposition and challenges that lay before Tinubu and his running mate in the run-up to the election.