Tinubu angers Muslims with his all-Muslim ticket they say disrespects Christians
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Northern Muslim youths in the All Progressives Congress (APC) are aghast that Bola Tinubu chose a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket with Kashim Shettima and want him replaced with a Northern Christian to ensure the party retains the Villa.
Abdullahi Saleh, APC Northern Muslim Forum leader, voiced total rejection of a Muslim tag team, saying even as Tinubu reserves the right to pick his running mate, his decision must not be against the collective sensibilities of Nigerians.
“As concerned stakeholders of the APC in the 19 Northern States in the country, we find it worrisome that such a decision could be taken without recourse to its implication on the electoral chances of the party and the attendant uproar such a decision could bring about in the country.
“It is also worrisome that of all the country’s political parties, only the APC presented a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“In our opinion, this is insensitive and a gross display of a lack of respect for our Christian brothers and sisters,” Saleh said in a statement he read out in Abuja.
“This is on the heels that the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a Muslim from the South West Nigeria, and picking another Muslim from the Northern part of the country as his running mate is politically and morally indefensible.
“We hold the firm conviction that such a move can boomerang with unpleasant consequences for the APC at the general elections, hence the need for the party’s leadership to make haste to correct this error of judgment.”
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Northern Christians with huge following
Saleh insisted that there are credible Northern Christian with rich credentials and massive grassroots following who can complement the APC ticket, according to reporting by Vanguard.
“As such, the 19 APC states Northern Muslims Forum sees the selection of Senator Kashim Shettima as an aberration that should be corrected with immediate effect by the relevant authorities within the party.
“The implication of non-action in this regard can only be imagined, so much so that the majority of the eligible voters in Northern Nigeria have elected to boycott the APC in protest of the disrespect and disregard to Northern Christians, whose population and relevance in the scheme of things in the region cannot be overemphasised.
“As a group, we wish to state unequivocally that we reject the choice of Senator Kashim Shettima as the vice presidential candidate of the APC.
“This decision is hinged on the need to ensure a balance in the presidential ticket of the APC, as it has been since the return of democracy in 1999.
“The APC must respect the religious diversity of the country. We hold the opinion that emphasis must be placed on ensuring a united house before the elections and not a fragmented house.
“If the APC is desirous of recording electoral success in the 2023 presidential elections, it must retrace its steps by selecting a Christian cleric as its vice presidential candidate.
“The party must not be perceived as promoting a religious agenda by fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“The 19 APC States Northern Muslim Forum condemns such a move in its totality as it is a recipe for the entrenchment of mutual suspicion between the Muslims and the Christians in the country, which won’t augur well for relative peace and tranquillity.
“We consequently say no to a Muslim-Muslim ticket by the APC. We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to kindly intervene to save the party from an electoral crisis.
“We urge Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to emulate the example of President Muhammadu Buhari in the choice of his running mate in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.
“This stance is hinged on the national interest. Our Christian brothers and sisters deserve a place in the scheme of things, and the APC must not be seen as a religiously insensitive party. The time to act is now.”