AKINWUNMI KING 

The Muslim-Muslim ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 Presidential election scheduled for February 25, 2023, has continued to generate heated debate from cross section of Nigerians.

While many have condemned the ruling party for making such a choice at a time when the country is already polarized along ethnic and religious lines, the APC on its part has also continued to defend the choice of Kashim Shettima as the only suitable person to fly its ticket with Tinubu.

Last week, no fewer than 5,000 Yoruba Elders, who are majorly members of the APC and supporters of Tinubu, took to the streets of Lagos to protest the party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket, calling for a Christian to be incorporated.

The thousands of pro-Tinubu protesters, under the aegis of Coalition of APC Stakeholders Network and Southwest Supporters of Tinubu, began their peaceful walk from popular Ikeja Mall to the State House Alausa.

According to them, the only obstacle between the former Lagos State and the presidency in 2023 is his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima.

While addressing newsmen on their reason for the peaceful protest, the group’s President-General, Elder Samuel Arokoyo, described Tinubu as a “political colossus and astute political strategist”, who has successfully built an enviable foundation for the party.

Arokoyo added that, “Tinubu has also been crucial in the nation’s democracy being an important figure for almost four decades, hence his emergence as APC presidential candidate was perceived as a breadth of fresh air”.

Being known as a lover of peace, tolerance and exclusivity, he said it was, however, surprising that Tinubu opted for a fellow Muslim as the APC’s vice-presidential candidate.

Rejecting the combination, he said, “As a multi-religious and multi-ethnic country, any attempt for one religion to dominate the political structure could only widen the gap of mistrust and destroy the delicate sense of tolerance cultivated over the years.

“Hence, the choice of Shettima was not only ill-timed but also a total disregard for the diversity of the country, crushing the bridges built to connect the religious differences and promote ethnic harmonious co-existence.”

The Coalition of APC Stakeholders Network and Southwest Supporters of Tinubu said it is using the peaceful protest to urge the party’s presidential candidate to drop Shettima.

“We want the best for the nation and the Muslim-Muslim ticket isn’t. This will set negative precedents for future generations. We must not fail our children.

“In place of Shettima, Tinubu should pick a Christian from the North-Central. Doing so will assure the APC of a higher chance of gathering more votes from the North and across the country.

“The North-Central dominated by Christians played a vital role in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections. As popular as President Muhammadu Buhari is in the North, the only times he succeeded were when he won this zone, despite always dominating the Muslim-dominated North-West and North-East in his previous three attempts.

“There are a good number of Christian voters in the following Northern States: Kogi, Kwara, Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Adamawa, Gombe, Borno, and the FCT, whose votes can be harvested to about 70% if we have a Northern Christian running mate on the ticket.

“Tinubu will write his name in gold should he make this bold decision. He will become the toast of Christians. Imagine the kind of momentum our leader will gather should he get the backing of almost 50 million Christians in Nigeria.

“It is our prayer that Tinubu will look beyond the surface and make this bold decision. We anticipate his timely action,” Arokoyo added.

Though the party has assured that it would address the concerns that are being raised by concerned stakeholders, it seems many are not convinced that the party would keep to its promise.

Early in the month, National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdulahi Adamu, disclosed that the party would address the concerns raised over its single faith presidential ticket before the 2023 elections.

While explaining how the party would assuage the fears of the Christian community in the country over the Muslim-Muslim ticket, Adamu called for patience over the issue.

Last week, a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, appeared on Channels TV, where he said that Christians in Nigeria need not be afraid regarding the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

Fani-Kayode, who before cross-carpeting to the APC from the PDP was very vocal about plots by the present administration to Islamize and Fulanise Nigeria, said he has prayed about the matter and have come to the conclusion that the Muslim-Muslim ticket poses no danger to Christians.

In defending the same faith ticket of the party, he said the choice was that of the APC presidential candidate, adding the decision was made in the best interest of the country.

The former minister admitted that no real Christian would be pleased with such a selection, however, the APC stalwart emphasised that there is nothing wrong with the choice.

Prior to his joining the APC, Fani-Kayode has always spoken against the ruling party and its presidential candidate, and as such his latest comments have stirred various reactions with some saying his position at this time cannot be trusted.

However, in his defence, he said it was when he joined the ruling party that he discovered so much had changed with the way the government and party was operating.

According to him, even issues of fulanisation and Islamisation have all been done away with, especially with Tinubu emerging as the flagbearer for the APC in the next election.

“My choice to speak for APC and Tinubu has nothing to do with morals. It’s a question of choice. It’s my choice. When I was in the PDP, I fought against those that were against my party. Now I’m no longer in the PDP and I’m in the APC, I’ll fight against those that are against my party.

“That is my nature and I make these choices based on conviction and based on courage. The most important thing…the greatest danger to national unity and cohesion as far as I’m concerned…is a situation whereby power does not shift to the South after eight years of the Hausa/Fulani man ruling this country.

“And the APC has come up with a Southern candidate and that’s the most important thing. Now the choices that the Southern candidate makes are the choices he is comfortable with.

“Obviously, there are issues with the same faith ticket. There are issues with that. Any Christian that will tell you he is particularly happy with that then seriously speaking cannot be a real Christian.

“But as far as I’m concerned, it’s simply an issue of choice. The issue of Fulanisation we talked about has been thrown out of the window because the party we accused of that has shifted power to the South. When I joined the APC, I realised that things have completely changed.

“A country where we have about 22 Christian governors, with the whole of South-West all Christian governors, tells you that this country cannot be Islamised and our party, the APC, is not interested in that. We have reformed. We are moving forward,” Fani-Kayode declared.

Taking a different look at Shettima, Fani-Kayode was of the opinion that the former Borno State Governor had built more churches in the State than any other governor before him.

“Same faith ticket is a challenge but we looked into it, I prayed and consulted about it and spoke to Kashim because all along the position has been it all depends on who’s the vice. It’s not about the faith. It’s about the individual.

“I discussed with Shettima for over three hours, I looked into his eyes and raised a number of personal questions that I needed to be certified and he certified me with his answers.

“He has built more churches in Borno than any other governor before him and since he has won the confidence of many Christians, so the issue of Islamisation no longer arises,” he disclosed.

Nigerians are waiting to see whether the APC would make any alteration or maintain its stand.

Also, it is unclear if the South- West will give its total support to Tinubu based on his choice of running mate.