As insinuations of a possible Muslim-Muslim ticket for APC continue to raise dust, Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU, takes a look at different sides of the dialogue.
The current debate that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is considering a Muslim-Muslim ticket for its presidential slot in the 2015 general election has continued to generate diverse reactions.
APC has set December 2 as date for its presidential primary. Since the declaration, intrigues and permutations are beginning to emerge.
There seems to be an increase in the party’s power game, as zones and aspirants strategise to gain political advantage.
Despite all the insinuations, APC has not made official statement on the issue, thus raising the concern that the party, perhaps, may have been stuck with the idea.
There has been the argument that Nigeria’s population is nearly evenly split between dominant Muslims in the North and dominant Christians in the South and that it would be suicidal for any serious national party to ignore such feelings.
Amaechi elimination plot
The earlier news that dominated the polity was that a new power-sharing formula, after a strong meeting by the top echelon of the party, was in favour of Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as Buhari’s running-mate.
But it was gathered lately that although Amaechi is a strong asset to the party, the arithmetic of the 2015 presidential election and the candidates expected to be involved require that someone with large capacity to win more votes should be picked as the running mate.
The development, TheNiche gathered, has left Amaechi and his camp in confusion, being aware of the move to dump him for a candidate from the South West. But he has refused to fold his arms, going by feelers from his close aides, as he was said to be re-strategising.
Fashola as game-changer
Latest investigation reveals that Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, is being tipped as the game-changer, if the party must give the PDP a run for its money.
Credible sources reveal that Fashola has been endorsed by the South West caucus of the APC as the vice presidential candidate to whoever emerges as the presidential standard-bearer of the party.
The South West zone is said to be strongly working for the emergence of former head of state, Muhammadu Buhari, as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2015 election. The zone has come to a conclusion that the retired General has larger followership that commands more electoral value than his other competitors.
The zone, it was further gathered, has launched a lobby on why the area, and not the South South, should be on the expected Northern presidential ticket.
TheNiche learnt that the party leadership and elders reportedly bought the argument that the South West would be the battleground in the presidential contest, and it was just politically correct that a viable candidate from the zone should be on the ticket.
A national officer of the party has argued that making a choice between Amaechi and Fashola was asking the party at large to choose between picking Amaechi and winning just a state with less than two million votes, and picking Fashola and sweeping an entire geopolitical zone.
Fashola’s involvement, according to the party’s blue-print, was primed to deliver votes across Yoruba land and, at the same time, deny Jonathan the possibility of 25 per cent constitutional requirement.
APC also believes that the Buhari/Fashola ticket would sweep Ondo and Ekiti states, currently governed by PDP governors, though the party was not that optimistic on the governorship elections.
Buhari’s mindset
General Buhari (rtd) has insisted that he would not mind a Muslim running mate if he wins the APC presidential ticket for the 2015 election.
He is of the opinion that he had demonstrated to Nigerians in the past that he was not a religious fundamentalist by picking Christians as his running mates in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections in which he ran.
According to Buhari said: “In 2003, I chose Chuba Okadigbo as my running mate. He was a Roman Catholic. He was an Igbo. In 2007, I picked Edwin Ume-Ezeoke. He was a Roman Catholic. He was an Igbo. And in 2010, I chose even a pastor, Tunde Bakare.
“Honestly, what do Nigerians want me to do? If they don’t believe I’m not a fundamentalist, what else can I do?”
APC stand point
APC national leadership is yet to take a position. But given the pulse of its national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, the party has denied mulling a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Oyegun has dismissed the insinuations that the party was planning to field a Muslim-Muslim ticket as untrue.
He described as “very unfortunate” but unnecessary the insinuation in some quarters that the party is settling for a Muslim-Muslim ticket, just because Buhari, in a recent interview granted an online newspaper, The cable, said he would keep an open mind on the issue of his party’s presidential candidate and running mate.
History to the rescue
In Nigeria, out of the 14 instances of leadership since 1960, it is only on three occasions that the head of state or president and his deputy belonged to the same religion.
The first instance was during the leadership of the first military Head of State, Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, with Yakubu Gowon as his deputy.
Also when Gowon took over power in July 1966, his deputy, Olawale Wey, was also a Christian.
In December 1983, when Buhari, a Muslim, was the Head of State, his deputy, Tunde Idiagbon, was also a Muslim.
Moshood Abiola, a Muslim, who won the presidential election on June 12, 1993 with his fellow Muslim, Baba Gana Kingibe, was not allowed to rule, as the election was annulled by then military president, Ibrahim Babangida.
The religion balancing act also applies to the leadership of major political parties.
This is part of what some members of the APC, who are opposed to same religion ticket, are trying to achieve to make the party acceptable nationwide.
Nigerians react
Just as enlightened Nigerians have contended that religion should not be a consideration in choosing candidates for the 2015 elections, there are many others that argue that it is a veritable weapon that must not be ignored.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has criticised the idea, saying that the era of Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian ticket had gone.
Obasanjo warned the Nigerian political elite that contemplating such idea now would spell doom for the country.
The former president, in a statement he reportedly signed, said that religion was a very sensitive issue in Nigeria and such political arrangement would inflame religious sentiments.
Obasanjo stated: “Sensitivity is a necessary ingredient for the enhancement of peace, security and stability at this point in the political discourse and arrangement for Nigeria, and for encouraging confidence and trust.
“It will be insensitive to the point of absurdity for any leader or any political party to be toying with a Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian ticket at this juncture.
“Nigeria cannot at this stage raise the spectre and fear of Islamisation or Christianisation”.
Governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Imo State, Okey Ezeh, told TheNiche that the issue was not necessary if Nigeria has strong institutions. But, according to him, people are worried because of the nation’s weak institutions which cannot guarantee rule of law.
He said given the prevalent situation in the land, Nigerians had no choice but to express concern, and seek a balance.
“In advance progressive societies, the citizens do not talk about religion as a factor because it is irrelevant, but because we still have a long way to go people are expressing fear because we have weak institutions.
“Given the prevalent situation in Nigeria where there are weak institutions and rule of law abused, we cannot escape people expressing fear. I think there should be a balance for now since we still operate within the middle age level in our development,” he observed.
Vice President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Issa Aremu, stressed that religion should not be a determining factor, insisting that Nigerians were more interested in candidates who would provide uninterrupted power supply, guarantee security, give employment, re-invent the industries and manage diversity for development.
He told TheNiche that using religion as basis for determining national leadership could lead to further problem, as there are different sects or denominations within Islam and Christianity.
National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere Renewal group (ARG), Yinka Odumakin, said any plan to run on a Muslim-Muslim ticket will be dead on arrival in today’s Nigeria.
According to him, “It is a no deal. It is dead on arrival. This is not 1993. If June 12 had not been annulled, then this could have happened. After the annulment, they annulled the possibility of a Muslim-Muslim ticket or a Christian-Christian ticket. Everything must now be about balance.”
Leader of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Fredrick Fasehun, said Nigerians must be conscious of religion, given the benefit of history.
“Nigerians are religion-conscious. And if the Muslim-Muslim ticket issue was mooted by a leader whose love for the country we cannot doubt, it would have been good. But if the statement was credited to a leader who says there will be trouble and blood-letting if he didn’t win elections, then it calls for caution.”
Also, Gowon says there is no basis for strife and crisis between Christians and Muslims in the country, as Nigeria needs peace to fully realise its potentials.
Gowon, who spoke last week in Jos, Plateau State, during a visit to the Region 8 Headquarters of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) to sensitise members on ‘Nigeria Prays’, urged Nigerians not to write off the country, but pray to addressing problems confronting the nation.
“Nigeria is a blessed country loved by God. The hand of God is on this nation. That is why we are able to overcome the myriad crises that bedevilled this nation in the past. Every Nigerian, therefore, needs to pray. If there is peace among Christians and Muslims and peace among family members, Nigeria will definitely be a great country. All of us will be proud of it. It is necessary for every Nigerian to embrace peace.
“In the western part of this country, there is an understanding between Christians and Muslims. They are able to live together in peace and harmony. This is what I want other Nigerians to emulate, so that we can achieve peace across the land. We should also have respect for the traditional religion, so that we can have peace to develop the country,” he admonished.
Political commentators are of the view that with the upsurge in religious clashes, particularly recent insurgency mounted by the deadly Boko Haram sect, the national mood has hardened that both the president and vice president should not be adherents of the same faith.
Religious inclination of Nigeria’s leaders and their deputies since Independence in 1960
1) October 1960 – January 1966: Tafawa Balewa (Prime Minister, Muslim) and Nnamdi Azikiwe (President, Christian).
2) January 1966 – July 1966: Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi (Head of State, Christian) and Yakubu Gowon (Deputy, Christian).
3) July 1966 – July 1975: Yakubu Gowon (Head of State, Christian) and Olawale Wey (Deputy, Christian).
4) July 1975 – February 1976: Murtala Mohammed (Head of State, Muslim) and Olusegun Obasanjo (Deputy, Christian).
5) February 1976 – October 1979: Olusegun Obasanjo (Head of State, Christian) and Shehu Yar’Adua (Deputy, Muslim).
6) October 1979 – December 1983: Shehu Shagari (President, Muslim) and Alex Ekwueme (Deputy, Christian).
7) December 1983 – August 1985: Muhammadu Buhari (Head of State, Muslim) and Tunde Idiagbon (Deputy, Muslim).
8) August 1985 – August 1993: Ibrahim Babangida (Head of State, Muslim), Ebitu Ukiwe (Deputy, Christian) and Augustus Aikhomu (Deputy, Christian).
9) August 1993 – November 1993: Ernest Shonekan (Head of Interim National Government, Christian). No official deputy.
10) November 1993 – June 1998: Sani Abacha (Head of State, Muslim) and Oladipo Diya (Deputy, Christian).
11) June 1998 – May 1999: Abdulsalami Abubakar (Head of State, Muslim) and Mike Akhigbe (Deputy, Christian).
12) May 1999 – May 2007: Olusegun Obasanjo (President, Christian) and Atiku Abubakar (Deputy, Muslim).
13) May 2007 – May 2010: Umaru Yar’Adua (President, Muslim) and Goodluck Jonathan (Deputy, Christian).
14) May 2010 – to date: Goodluck Jonathan (President, Christian) and Namadi Sambo (Deputy, Muslim).