APC Chieftain seeks calmness on same religion Presidential ticket

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Hakeem Alao, has appealed to Nigerians to look beyond religion in the presidential team of the party, saying the Muslim-Muslim ticket should not be seen as anti-Christian.

While featuring on a radio programme in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Alao said in as much as religion matters in the lives of human beings, including Nigerians, the time had come for the country to emphasise more on what would bring good governance and development to the country.

He maintained that with the country divided into North and South and the presidential candidate from the South, the choice of a vice presidential candidate, as made from the North, should be accepted in the interest of the country, stating that what should be paramount is the competence of the choice made.

He maintained that the Southwest region has, for a long time, been enjoying religious harmony between Muslims and Christians as adherents of the two faiths inter-marry, the gubernatorial aspirant under the platform of the APC in the last governorship primary, said Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the president, is competent to make Nigeria better and ensure that Nigerians live in unity, irrespective of religious or ethnic differences.

He said: “I want to sincerely appeal to Nigerians to take the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of our great party, APC, in good faith and not an attempt at being anti-Christian. I believe we should focus on the competence of the two men to make Nigeria the country of our dream. 

“Asiwaju Tinubu has done it before as the governor of Lagos State and if elected president, on whose table everything must stop, he would not do anything to jeopardise the interest of Christians but rather ensure religious harmony to make Nigeria a better place for all to live,” Alao stated.

On the crises in the Oyo State APC after the last primaries, he said the party had the mechanism to put its house in order, disclosing that a reconciliation committee, set up by the national headquarters of the party, would meet in the state in the coming week to reconcile all those that are aggrieved.

The Oman-based Project and Contract Management Specialist, who admitted that he was aggrieved with the governorship primary of the party, however, insisted that, as a progressive, he would not leave the party as it is the best platform for him to realise his political ambition.

“The last governorship primary has come and gone and the national leadership of the party has already put in place a reconciliation committee which would be in the state next week. But for me no matter my grievances as a progressive I would not leave APC,” he declared.

Dominica Nwabufo