By Doris Israel Ijeoma
Former Minister of Sport, Solomon Dalung has said that the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has an ulterior motive for fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Tinubu had unveiled the former governor of Borno state, Kashim Shettima as his running mate.
Sharing his thoughts on APC’s choice of running mate during an interview with Punch, Dalung stated that fielding the same faith ticket was being insensitive towards the need of Nigerians.
He insisted that there is something Tinubu is hiding from the masses.
According to him: “It’s the highest manifestation of religious intolerance and insensitivity to the sentiments of Nigerians and an attack on our diversity that has squander.
“The reason why he thought of changing this tradition is that it creates more fear than the ticket itself because it means he has something he is hiding away from Nigerians.
“What I suspect he may be hiding from Nigerians is that he may be playing the script of an unpatriotic political elite that uses religion to manipulate people and access power.
“In reality, they are not religious people because, once they form a government, they use nepotism to appoint family members, in-laws, and other unqualified people to strategic government positions. Their children will be marrying each other and their cronies using the state’s funds.
“That does not resemble an agenda for national development; an understanding that there is endemic poverty; hunger; and unemployment ravaging everywhere.
“For me, there is a hidden agenda that they are playing the religious card to get power just for the sake of getting power and using it irresponsibly. If they get the power, then they will now manifest their real intentions.”
