Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports
The Muslim-Muslim ticket put out by the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been rejected by several Yoruba elders and Bola Tinubu supporters.
On Monday, the supporters flocked to the streets of Lagos to demand that a Christian be chosen as the party’s vice presidential candidate.
From Shoprite in Ikeja to the State House in Alausa, the demonstrators organized by the Coalition of APC Stakeholders Network and Southwest Supporters of Tinubu began their demonstration.
Speaking during the demonstration, the group’s president-general, Arokoyo Samuel, criticized the APC for showing contempt for Nigeria’s diversity by choosing Kashim Shettima, a former governor of Borno State, as its vice presidential candidate.
Samuel praised Tinubu as a political colossus and brilliant political strategist who has effectively established an admirable foundation for the APC when discussing his presidential aspirations.
His emergence as the APC presidential candidate was seen as a breath of new air since “he has also been significant in the nation’s democracy being an influential figure for almost four decades.”
“As a multi-religious and multi-ethnic society, any attempt for one religion to dominate the political structure might only increase the gap of mistrust and undermine the delicate feeling of tolerance cultivated over the years,” Samuel, who denounced the same faith ticket of the ruling party, stated.
“Therefore, the choice of Shettima was not only ill-advised but also shown a complete disrespect for the diversity of the nation, demolishing the bridges constructed to reconcile religious differences and encourage peaceful coexistence among ethnic groups.”
Ahead of the national elections in 2023, the demonstrators demanded that Tinubu replace Shettima with a Christian.
“We want the best for the country, and the Muslim-Muslim ticket isn’t it,” Samuel continued. Future generations will be negatively impacted by this precedent. We cannot let down our kids.
“Tinubu ought to select a Christian from the north-central instead of Shettima. By doing this, the APC will increase its chances of winning more votes from the North and the rest of the country.
“The predominantly Christian north-central region was crucial to the 2015 and 2019 presidential contests. While being extremely well-liked in the North, PMB only ever won this zone once, despite dominating the Muslim-dominated North West and North East in his prior three attempts.
“If we have a Northern Christian running mate on the ticket, we can harvest nearly 70% of the votes in the following northern states: Kogi, Kwara, Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Adamawa, Gombe, Borno, and the FCT.
If Tinubu makes this risky choice, he will engrave his name in gold. He will rise to prominence among Christians. Imagine the amount of support our leader would receive if there were nearly 50 million Christians in Nigeria.
“We hope Tinubu would go past the obvious and take this courageous step. We anticipate his prompt response.
