Nigeria’s governing party, the All Progressives Congress, APC has postponed the unveiling of former Borno State Governor Senator Kashim Shettima as its Vice Presidential aspirant.
In less than an hour to the scheduled time of the unveiling at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, the APC postponed the event without any explanation from party officials.
A few days ago in Daura, Katsina state, the APC Presidential Candidate, Mr. Bola Tinubu who is a Muslim declared Senator Shettima, another Muslim as his running mate in the forthcoming 2023 Presidential Election in Nigeria.
The APC presidential candidate said he chose Shettima as his running mate because “I believe this is the man who can help me bring the best governance to all Nigerians, period, regardless of their religious affiliation or considerations of ethnicity or region.”
Tinubu, in a statement he signed Sunday evening, said although he is aware of the religious concerns about his choice of running mate, he does not believe that religion should be the deciding factor in choosing a running mate.
“Some have counselled that I should select a Christian to please the Christian community. Other(s) have said I should pick a Muslim to appeal to the Muslim community. Clearly, I cannot do both,” Tinubu said.
Tinubu stated that “religion, ethnicity and region cannot always and fully determine our path” amid outrage over a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Controversy
The APC muslim-muslim ticket has generated a lot of controversy with many being for and against it.
In the spirit of equity and fairness, some people have said it was not too late for Mr. Tinubu to change his running mate to a Northern Christian considering that the deadline for submission of names to the electoral commission is 15th July.
One of those who have publicly expressed displeasure at the muslim-muslim ticket is a staunch Tinubu supporter and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.
Similarly, Christian leaders of Northern Nigeria in the APC held a meeting where they said they will not go to their constituencies to campaign for a Muslim-Muslim ticket and further called on President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene.
Also, the forum of governors in the APC that publicly declared their support for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket urged Nigerians to not focus more on competentcompetent leaders than sentiments.
Emmanuel Ukoh
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