MURIC argued that contrary to Kukah’s assertion that Buhari started same-faith ticket, it was started in 1966 by Major-General Aguiyi Ironsi
By Kehinde Okeowo
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has accused popular social critic and Catholic Bishop, Matthew Hassan Kukah of being economical with the truth after he slammed the All Progressives Congress (APC) for presenting a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto had in a recent statement described the controversial ticket as reprehensible and unacceptable.
Kukah also argued that same-faith ticket crept into the Nigerian political system, when the current President, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) picked the late Brigadier Tunde Idiagbon as his deputy in 1983.
Reacting to his claims, the director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Wednesday, August 17, via a press statement, corrected Kukah’s impression by asserting that same-faith leadership began under a Christian leader in Nigeria and that it preceded the Buhari-Idiagbon administration.
ALSO READ: APC debunks plots to remove national chairman Adamu
According to MURIC, Bishop Kukah was economical with the truth, as it was Major-General Thomas Aguiyi Ironsi who first picked a fellow Christian, Brigadier Babademi Ogundipe, as his deputy in 1966.
The statement read in part, “But Father Kukah was being economical with the truth. We all know that Nigeria’s same faith leadership phenomenon started long before Buhari became military head of state. The sad thing is that some people find it convenient to fall victim to collective amnesia, when it comes to Muslim-bashing.
“How can anyone claim that Buhari started same-faith leadership when we all know that Nigeria’s first military head of state, Major-General Thomas Umunakwe Aguiyi Ironsi picked a fellow Christian, Brigadier Babademi Ogundipe, as a deputy in 1966. He did not stop there, he also made another Christian, Admiral Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey, his third in command.
“The facts before us prove that Kukah was economical with the truth. He should cross check his facts properly next time he speaks in public. Nigerians are adept at fact-checking”