Babachir Lawal, former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), says fielding two Muslims as presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will cause division.
Lawal said this on Thursday during an interview with ARISE TV.
On July 10, Bola Tinubu, APC presidential candidate, announced Kashim Shettima, former governor of Borno, as his running mate for the 2023 election.
Speaking on the development, Lawal said the APC cannot say there are no competent Christians in the north that could have been chosen as running mate.
“First of all, nobody should aspire to be president of this country if he knows there will be religious dichotomy in the system,” the former SGF said.
“You will antagonise the Christian majority in this country. It’s a direct attack on them and even in your own zone, because when it comes to religion, Nigerians take religion first.
“Now, you jeoperdise the whole of the Christians in the north, in the south-south, in the south-east.
“If it is based on competence, Tinubu, who has one degree in business administration, cannot beat professor Osinbajo. So, competence in what? Who examines this competence? Is it an exam?
“So, in any case, maybe given that Shettima is the most competent person from the north, which exam did he take?
“Islam preaches justice. Why can’t they see this? No Muslim would want to live in acrimonious relationship with his neighbour.
“See, me, B.D. Lawal, a Christian, APC chieftain, a friend of Bola Tinubu, how will I go to Adamawa and stay on the podium and say vote for Bola and his Muslim-Muslim ticket?”
END
The APC have goofed yet again.
This narrative peddled by the APC and it’s supporters is nothing short of cognitive dissonance…
Here we have a political party that remains silent when it’s federal executive government perpetuates a policy of ethnic and religious nepotism in appointments. All the top positions within the party itself are a reflection of it’s proclivity towards appointing only those of a certain religious leaning. All references to the Federal character and secularism leanings that guide and protect our democracy from being hijacked by the tyranny of the majority and allowing the minority have a say have by and large been disrespected by the APC for political expediency.
So excuse the rest of the country if alarms are being raised now seeing this choice of candidates to be another precedence that cannot be allowed to stand or be rewarded by electoral success.
And if the argument continues to be that northern Christians within the party have little or no electoral value then perhaps the truth is that the APC is by and large a regional or sectional party rejected by the other major sections of the country.