Politics

Muslim/Muslim ticket unacceptable, says CAN, NSCIA differs

Published

2 years ago

January 5, 2022

CAN President, Supo Ayokunle and President NSCIA, Muhammadu Abubakar III

The Christian Association of Nigeria has warned that two Muslims running on a joint presidential ticket in 2023 will not be accepted and can lead to the country’s collapse.

However, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Abubakar III, says the most important thing should be competence and that is what Muslims are praying for.

The Director-General of the Tinubu Support Group, Abdulmumin Jibrin, said on Monday that it did not matter if Tinubu picked a Muslim as his running mate, adding that Nigerians would choose competence over ethnic and religious considerations.

Jibrin argued that currently in the House of Representatives, the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila; and the Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, are both Muslims while in the 6th and 7th Senate, Senator David Mark and Ike Ekweremadu who are both Christians, were Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively.

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In his recently published book, a former interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Bisi Akande, also claimed that Tinubu was supposed to be the running mate to General Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 and to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in 2007 even though both Buhari and Atiku are Muslims just like Tinubu. Akande had argued that the South-West does not consider religion during elections.

Speaking with The PUNCH on Tuesday, however, the Spokesman for the CAN President, Rev. Bayo Oladeji, said having a Muslim/Muslim ticket would set the country on fire. Oladeji also argued that CAN would not support two Christians running on a joint ticket in 2023.

He said the June 12, 1993 election wherein MKO Abiola of the Social Democratic Party ran alongside Babagana Kingibe on a joint Muslim ticket, could never be replicated in 2023.

Oladeji stated, “Politicians can talk politics but we have stated our view. Any party that tries Muslim/Muslim ticket or Christian/Christian ticket will fail. This is not 1993. Even when we have joint Muslim/Christians, the church still goes through hell. Only God knows the number of Christians that have been killed.

“Imagine how bad it will be if we have two Muslims in power? The constitution promotes religious balance. So, if they want to try Muslim/Muslim ticket, let them try it. But we will not respond to faceless people. Let any political party or the government try it then they will know that Christians are not second hand citizens of Nigeria.

“This country belongs to all of us. If they try it, they will see it. Those who are planning Muslim/Muslim ticket should also find out what was the outcome of MKO Abiola and Kingibe ticket. If they try Muslim/Muslim ticket this time around, the outcome will be worse.”

But the NSCIA, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, says Muslims believe that all power belongs to God and only those who God supports can emerge as winners of any election.

When asked if the NSCIA saw anything wrong in a joint Muslim Presidential ticket, the Director of Administration, NSCIA, Zubairu Ugwu, told The PUNCH that while the council would continue to advocate for peace in the country, Muslims would pray to God to grant that only Nigerians who possessed the requisite capacity would eventually triumph at both their respective party primaries and subsequent general elections, at all tiers of government in Nigeria.

He said, “Consequently, both the NSCIA and the Muslim Ummah of Nigeria who, in thought and practice, draw instructions from the Holy Qur’an, have absolute trust that Almighty Allah has limitless capacity, to bring to power or deny power, in line with the above Qur’anic injunction, to whomsoever He wills.

“As Muslims, therefore, we have no choice but to continue to supplicate to Allah to grant that only Nigerians who possess the requisite capacity, integrity, sagacity, empathy, positive attitude, passion, administrative acumen, zeal for selfless service, etc., shall eventually triumph at both their respective party primaries and subsequent general elections, at all tiers of government in Nigeria.”

He said the NSCIA would continue to lend its voice to calls for all Nigerians, including political, religious, traditional and civil society organisations, to eschew religious politics and politicisation of religion, subtly or manifestly, in Nigeria, to avoid the dire consequences”

Punch

Related Topics:CAN Featured Muslim-Muslim NSCIA ticket

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Politics

Senate in rowdy session as lawmakers quarrel over sitting arrangement

Published

3 days ago

April 30, 2024

Trends Admin

Senate in rowdy session as lawmakers quarrel over sitting arrangement

The Senate broke into a rowdy session on Tuesday after three senators engaged in a heated argument over arrangement of seats.

Danjuma Goje, senator representing Gombe Central, and Sahabi Yau, senator representing Zamfara North, expressed displeasure over the seats assigned to them.

They complained to Opeyemi Bamidele, the majority leader.

The Senate is currently using its refurbished chamber, two years after renovation began on it.

According to the standing rules of the upper legislative chamber, senators should sit in order of rank.

The Easter and Sallah recess was postponed to accommodate the completion of the renovation of both chambers of the national assembly.

However, while Senate President Godswill Akpabio read his welcome address, the heated argument among the three senators began.

It was learnt that Goje and Yau, sitting on the second row on the right side of the aisle, did not like the seats allocated to them by the senate committee on services.

Sunday Karimi, senator representing Kogi west, is chair of the senate services committee.

The four-term senators subsequently insisted that they should have been assigned seats on the front row on the extreme right — opposite the row of the majority leader and the deputy senate president.

After the argument, Kawu Sumaila, senator representing Kano South, called for a “point of order” which was ignored.

Thereafter, Bamidele moved a motion for a closed-session.

Politics

Ganduje drums support for Tinubu, says no vacancy in Aso Rock 2027

Published

3 days ago

April 30, 2024

Trends Admin

Ganduje drums support for Tinubu, says no vacancy in Aso Rock 2027

National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, says members of the opposition are trying to discredit the Bola Tinubu-led administration in their desperation for Aso Rock in 2027.
He however declares that there is no vacancy in Aso Rock in 2027.

Ganduje said the administration of President Tinubu had been contending with accumulation of many years of neglect, policy summersaults and other disjointed decisions by previous administrations.

The APC national chairman gave the position while addressing supporters and support groups at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.

Ganduje urged the APC supporters and groups to be committed to the party so that it could continue to forge ahead.

He said the leadership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and its chieftains were afraid, having been defeated in the last general election and already foreseeing another defeat.

Ganduje said the NNPP elements were now engaged in a propaganda campaign against the leadership of APC.

He said, “They are so afraid because we are consolidating. They are so afraid all over the country because we are receiving new entrants into our party. That is creating fears in their minds.

“They are already eyeing 2027, but at that time, there is no vacancy. Only our President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will, Insha Allah, continue as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Ganduje claimed the leadership of NNPP and its chieftains in Kano State were sponsoring protests and campaigning for his removal as APC national chairman.

Politics

Another PDP bigwig dumps party

Published

4 days ago

April 29, 2024

Trends Admin

Dr Cosmos Ndukwe

Another PDP bigwig dumps party

Dr Cosmos Ndukwe, one of the key opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidates for 2023, has resigned from the party.

This is stated in a letter written by the former Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly to the Chairman of his Item C Ward in Bende Local Government Area, which was copied to the party’s State Chairman, Hon. Asiforo Okere, and the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum.

The former Chief of Staff to the Governor and Commissioner for Works under ex-Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu claimed “personal reasons, current commitments, and aspirations” in his decision to leave the PDP.

He praised the party for providing him with the opportunity to enter the political spotlight and wished it success in the state.

The letter posted on his Facebook page on Monday morning read, “I hope this letter finds you well. It is with a heavy heart that I compose this correspondence to tender my resignation as a member and stakeholder in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Abia State, effective immediately.

“My decision to resign as a member within the party stems from personal reasons and reflections on my current commitments and aspirations.

“After careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that potting out of PDP is the best course of action for me at this time.

“I am immensely grateful for the opportunities that the PDP has afforded me during my tenure as a Councillor, Deputy Chairman Local Government, Chief of Staff to Executive Governor of Abia State, Deputy Speaker Abia 6th House of Assembly and Presidential Aspirant PDP 2023.