From Fred Itua, Fred Ezeh, Abuja, Emma Emeozor, Sunday Ani and Chukwudi Nweje
As political parties make last minute efforts to beat the June 17 deadline for submission of their flagbearers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigerians have warned against Muslim-Muslim ticket.
The caution is coming on the heels of wide speculation that the APC is contemplating Muslim-Muslim ticket instead of a Muslim-Christian ticket.
They warned the party to bury such thought because Nigeria is a multi-religious country and would not condone such especially considering the volatility of religious issues in the country.
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, shook the table recently when he said there was nothing wrong with the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket given that the APC has a Muslim presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
He advised those championing the campaign against a Muslim-Muslim ticket to have a rethink, drop the idea and do the right thing in order to increase the chances of the party winning the forthcoming general elections.
But hosting the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu in Abuja, yesterday, former minister of science and technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, called on the leadership of the ruling to consider the feelings of marginalised members before taking any action.
He cautioned against a Muslim-Muslim ticket given the sensitivity of Nigerians to the issue.
Onu was one of the presidential aspirants said there was need for justice, fairness and equity in the party for peace and prosperity to reign.
He advised Tinubu to give due consideration to this since in a few days, he may have to decide on his choice of a running mate.
“Though he may want the party to assist him in taking that decision, the constitution of the party recognises him as the person to take that decision. Eight years ago, the issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket came up and the party leaders said no that it will demonstrate insensitivity which the then presidential candidate decided to do what he felt was right in respect to the sensitivity of the majority of the party.
“That the 2023 election is very important it is necessary to ensure that there is fairness. We have to ensure that there is sensitivity by our party to the feelings of our people. We have to critically examine the criticism of the other political parties,” he said.
Similarly, former Secretary General of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Mr. Anthony Sani, warned that a Muslim-Muslim ticket would further polarise the nation along religious lines.
He said to promote justice and fairness, it was natural and logical for the APC to pick its vice presidential candidate from the northern part of the country, but the fellow should be a Christian from the region.
He said running a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the presidential election would negate the principle of federal character as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution as amended.
“I don’t think the choice of a running mate for the APC presidential candidate should be a problem because the constitution is clear about the principle of federal character that no group should dominate because such will not promote unity.
“So for fairness and justice, since Senator Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of APC is a Muslim from the southern part, should pick a Christian from the northern part of the country as his running mate. A Muslim-Muslim ticket will not augur well for unity of the country because the Christians in the northern part may feel marginalised and it is also not good for our democracy.”
Sani called on Tinubu to exhibit his statesmanship and nationalistic character by ensuring that the right was done in the choice of his running mate.
He also advised those advocating a Muslim-Muslim ticket to desist from it in the interest of unity, fairness and justice.
•MBF, AYCF
President of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), Dr. Pogu Bitrus, insisted that anybody desirous of having a united Nigeria at a time like this would not contemplate a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“We want Nigerians who are balanced and ready to support the existence of a united Nigeria. Anyway, let them try it and see the result,” he said
President of the Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF), Alhaji Yerima Shettima, agreed that Muslim-Muslim ticket would not fly.
“Ordinarily, one would expect that under the current circumstance, it should not be a Muslim-Muslim ticket. This is because whether you like it or not, Nigeria is a secular state and politicians should put that at the back of their minds in whatever they do, so as to carry everybody along. But, you know oftentimes, particularly recent happenings, have shown that it just about personal interest. Everybody is doing his own thing in his own way for selfish reasons but I do not think a Muslim-Muslim ticket is healthy for the country.”
He reminded those thinking along that line to remember that it is the entire Nigerians and not only the delegates that would decide the fate of such candidates.
•NCFront, Afenifere
Spokesman of the National Consultative Front (NCFront), Dr. Tanko Yunusa, also said the ideal thing should be to ensure balance.
He suggested that stakeholders should employ moral persuasion in making their case rather than using strong words.
“By the time you use words that are too strong to make your case, it will stir-up people not to understand the necessity for balance in choosing a vice presidential candidate.”
National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, also noted that Christian-Christian or Muslim-Muslim ticket becomes an issue in Nigeria due to lack of equity, fairness and justice in the way the country is being governed.
He said: “There have been instances where people of the same faith were heads of governments, even in multi-religious settings and things went well just as the affinity in faith does not, in itself, guarantee good governance. We have had, and still have, situations where people, who share the same faith did not do well in government. The issue of religion, like the issue of ethnicity, becomes topical in Nigeria today because those governing the country, especially of recent, have shown deleterious and unbiased bias against those who are not of their faith and of the same ethnic group like them.”
•It’s insensitive, catastrophic move –George
The Coalition of Arewa Forum for Good Governance (CAFGG) warned that if allowed, it will stir up unprecedented crisis and divide the country.
The warning came just as former deputy national chairman of the main opposition party, Bode George, cautioned that the choice of a Muslim vice president wouls be catastrophic not only for the APC and its presidential flag bearer, Bola Tinubu, but also for the country.
In a tense statement issued in Kaduna by CAFGG Coordinator, Garba Yunusa, the group asked the APC not to succumb to any pressure to approve a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the 2023 presidential poll, pointing out the danger inherent in a single faith ticket. Rather, the group called for a Muslim-Christian ticket in the “interest of equity, justice and fairness.”
CAFGG was, however, quick to ask Tinubu to pick the governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, a northern Christian as his running mate. Giving reason for nominating Lalong, the group said the governor is a northern Christian who can draw votes considering his track records of performance and his position as the current Chairman of Northern States Governors Forum with 19 states within his reach.
•Slap on Christians, says CAN
Reacting, the Christian Association of Nigeria described the idea of a Muslim-Muslim ticket as a slap on Christendom in Nigeria.
National Chairman, Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN), Belusochukwu Enwere, at a press conference on the matter in Abuja, yesterday, said the youth arm of CAN would use every legal means to frustrate the effort and ensure the idea never materialises.
“The call for a Muslim-Muslim ticket by certain individual is callous, deceptive and a true definition of bigotry. It’s a slap on the entire Christendom in Nigeria, and also a deliberate ploy to destabilise the nation. Any political party that fields same religion candidates, Muslim-Muslim or Christian/Christian ticket should know that it will be rejected and the result will reflect on the ballot. “Are you telling Nigerians that there is no competent northern Christian that can be in a position of trust? Does it implies that northern Christians are not regarded as northerners. If we claim that we are together and the North is united, then they should have no reason to reject a northerner because he or she is a Christian.”
Enwere said there was need for political parties to work for ethno-religious balancing and to foster integration and national unity amongst all tribes and religion.
“Nigeria needs oneness and togetherness,” he said.
