Converner of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Edwin Clark, has described All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu’s decision on choice of his running mate as threat to the corporate existence of Nigeria.
He said, in a statement he personally signed ,that such a choice is not inclusive and not good for a secular state like Nigeria, especially when the country is currently divided, even along religious lines, and all patriots are looking for ways to salvage the situation.
The former information minister recalled that it was the same issue of a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2015 that prevented Tinubu from becoming President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate, and wondered what had changed in 2022 to warrant a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
He asked Tinubu if he was telling Nigerians there were no Christians in the APC from the North “competent, capable, and reliable” based on the reasons he gave for choosing Kashim Shettima as his running mate?
He further asked the APC presidential candidate if his reasons for settling for a Muslim-Muslim ticket were confirmation of rumours that the country is being Islamised?
The statement read: “I feel threatened for our beloved country because of the way things are going. Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation, with Christianity and Islam as the major religions, even though Nigeria is a secular state.
“In compliance with constitutional provisions of inclusiveness, the number one and number two positions in the country, viz, president and vice president, have always been occupied by practitioners of the two major religions, to ensure balancing.
“It will be recalled that the presidential candidate of APC, Tinubu, could not be chosen in 2015 as vice president to Buhari, because he is a Muslim and Buhari is a Muslim. Tinubu, in his own words, confirmed this in his statement in Abeokuta, Ogun State. What has changed? One quality of a good leader is consistency. A good leader must act in the same way at all times, to all people. He must not display double standard.
“Today, what has the presidential candidate of APC, Tinubu, done? He has picked a person of his religion, a Muslim, as his running mate. Such choice is not inclusive, it is not good for a secular state like Nigeria.
“There is presently a sharp division in the country, even on religious lines, and all patriots are seeking ways to salvage the situation. Therefore, Tinubu’s decision to take a fellow Muslim as his running mate, will further worsen the situation in the country. He should know that patriotism is a quality of a good leader.
“On the reasons adduced by Tinubu on why he chose Shettima as running-mate, is the APC presidential flag bearer telling Nigerians that there are no Christians in the APC from the North who are competent, capable and reliable?
“There are rumours of an attempt to Islamise the country. Are all these pointers to the confirmation and actualisation of such rumours. One need to bear in mind the antecedents of the major backers of Tinubu’s ambition, which include Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, governor of Kano State, and the chosen one – Shettima.”
