Politics

CAN, others kick as Tinubu picks Muslim running mate

Published

2 years ago

July 11, 2022

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday, unveiled Senator Kashim Shettima, Muslim and former governor of Borno State as his running mate, ending weeks of cat and mouse game.

However, the decision to settle for a Muslim-Muslim ticket has elicited wide condemnations from Christians and Northern minorities.

Tinubu disclosed his choice to journalists at the Daura residence of President Muhammadu Buhari. The APC flag bearer arrived Daura to pay Sallah homage to President Buhari who arrived his home town on Friday. The former Lagos State governor was in Daura to pay Sallah homage to Buhari as well as intimate him of his decision to pick Shettima as his running mate.

The former two-term Lagos State governor, who won APC’s presidential ticket at the June 8 special national convention and presidential primary election, had earlier chose Ibrahim Kabiru Masari as place holder for the vice presidential slot.

Tinubu was away in France from June 27 on a short vacation during which he held some strategic meetings. He returned to Nigeria on Saturday early enough for Sallah festivities.

The Sun had last week exclusively reported that Tinubu had settled for North East and that his choice had been narrowed down to two – Governor Babagana Zulum and Shettima.

Tinubu’s announcement came amidst protests from the leadership of various Christian bodies in Nigeria, especially the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Catholic Bishops. His choice, Daily Sun learnt, does not not enjoy the backing of Northern APC governors especially those from the North West, who had insisted that one of them be picked.

CAN fumes

Mixed reaction has trailed the APC’s presidential candidate’s decision to run a same religion card.

CAN’s spokesperson, Adebayo Oladeji, said Nigerians should be ready to face the consequences of their actions if they endorsed and vote for a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

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“We knew this was what he was going to do and we have warned against it. It is up to Nigerians to decide on what they want.

“You are all alive when we warned Buhari not to allow Muslims to dominate the security architecture of the country and he did it. I think we can see the way the criminals are operating with impunity.

“So, if Tinubu says he is opting for a Muslim-Muslim ticket in a polarised country like ours, if Nigerians endorse him and vote for him, whatever happens, Nigerians will face the consequences.

“If you have a government where a pastor is a vice president and pastors and worshipers are being killed you can imagine what will happen when we have a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“It is left to Nigerians to make their choice, let them vote them in and we will all face the consequences together.

“We are raising our alarm. It is an irony that Buhari they regarded as an extremist when we raised an alarm to warn him against a Muslim-Muslim ticket, he heeded and opted for a Christian as his vice presidential candidate. ”

APC, Tinubu misfired

PDP chieftain and former presidential aspirant, Alhaji Isa Saulawa, described the Muslim-Muslim ticket as signifying victory for his party, the PDP.

“This is good news for us because it’s an indication that the PDP will return to power in 2023. There is no doubt that whatsoever that the current regime of President Muhammadu Buhari, right from inception, adopted a policy of deliberate marginalisation of the Christian community in Nigeria despite a Christian vice president. So, you can imagine a scenario where we have a Muslim-Muslim presidency. In fact, we are already celebrating the APC and Tinubu blunder.”

It’s best choice -Publisher

Renown newspaper publisher and politics analyst, Malam Mohammed Katsina, described Tinubu’s choice as the best for the APC arguing that Shettima recorded outstanding performance when he was governor of Borno State.

“This issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket is irrelevant and it’s my view that Nigerians should rise above such pedestrian sentiments and forge ahead for the overall development of the country. There is nothing wrong with Muslim-Muslim ticket or Christian-Christian ticket in a democratic setting.

“If you take Kaduna State as a case study, you see that the Muslim-Muslim ticket is viable where the governor is Muslim and the deputy is also Muslim.

It’s not best arrangement -Kwankwanso

The presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, said Muslim-Muslim ticket agenda is not a good arrangement.

Speaking in an interview on national television last night, he said so many things have changed in the country since 1993 when MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe, both Muslims, ran on the platform of the then Social Democratic Party (SDP) and won.

“In 1993 in SDP, I was deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, we found ourselves in a similar situation where we had a Muslim-Muslim ticket. That was almost 30 years ago and in 2023, it would be exactly 30 years. And so many things have changed in this country. The possible thing to have changed is the quality of leadership that we have seen over the years, which allowed Nigerians to, unfortunately, take to their cocoons in terms of religion, ethnicity region and so on.

“That is why NNPP will do whatever it can to bring Nigerians together but for now I believe the persons and people who are talking about Muslim-Muslim tickets will soon know that is not the best arrangement. And it is just a matter of time they will realize the mistake of doing it,” he said.

SUN

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Politics

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

Published

2 days ago

November 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Peter Obi and Omoyele Sowore

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, recently shared his reasons for not forming a coalition with Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s candidate in the same election.

In his appearance on the Honest Bunch podcast, Sowore asserted that, in his view, Obi is similar to other Nigerian politicians, describing him as “better at packaging.”

Sowore explained that his own journey in politics began long before Obi gained national recognition, emphasizing his dedication to advocating for systemic change in Nigeria.

During the podcast, co-hosted by Nedu, Husband Material, Deity Cole, and Ezinne, Sowore highlighted his belief in challenging the status quo, which he feels differs significantly from Obi’s approach.

Sowore said, “Before you discovered Peter Obi, I was already running for president. All these shouts about Peter Obi… He just knows how to package. Anyone can do it.

“If I form a coalition with Peter Obi, I will be going against what I have always stood for, which is that I will never support a Nigerian leader who has held any political office — whether at the federal, state, or local level — if I consider them non-performing.

“It’s the same reason I would never have joined hands with Atiku. And the Peter Obi you’re talking about was a vice-presidential candidate to Atiku when I was a presidential candidate in 2019.

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“So, what are we talking about? There is no lesser evil in my book. If you are evil, you are evil. If you are good, you are good. I have a general disdain for non-performance.”

He added that there is no such thing as “emotional attachment” in his dictionary.

“There was a friend of mine who kept saying, he doesn’t care if Peter Obi is Igbo, but that it is the turn of the Igbos. But it is beyond that; I have a natural disdain for poor performance,” he explained.

Sowore insisted that while many may not know it, he knew Obi before and during his time as governor, and he backed him.

“I had always known and supported him and stood against his removal when (Olusegun) Obasanjo wanted to use Andy Ubah to replace him—the twists and turns then.

“However, when Peter Obi finished his term in Anambra, the question I asked him was whether he could send his child to any university he had built in Anambra—he was mute and could not respond.

“I also asked him if he could enter any hospital he built in Anambra, which he governed for eight years, even if it was for the slightest headache—there was also no response.”

Sowore went on to challenge the four anchors or any other Nigerians, saying, “If they can pack their bags and head to Anambra for a vacation.”

PUNCH Online reports that President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress recorded 8,794,726 votes in the 2023 presidential election, followed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party who secured 6,984,520 votes.

In third place, Labour Party’s Obi garnered 6,101,533 votes, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party secured 1,496,687 votes.

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

Politics

Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

Published

4 days ago

November 11, 2024

Trends Admin

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

The Arewa Consensus for Jonathan, a political group in the North, has urged former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to enter the 2027 presidential race.

Jonathan, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015, is widely regarded for his role in fostering democratic growth and his relatively peaceful exit from power after losing the 2015 election.
Despite his exit from politics, his name has remained a focal point in discussions about Nigeria’s future leadership.

The group’s leader, Munir Musa, who made the appeal during a press conference in Bauchi over the weekend, emphasised that Jonathan’s return to office was crucial to addressing Nigeria’s pressing economic and security challenges.

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He argued that Nigeria, grappling with severe economic downturns and rising security threats, needs a leader with Jonathan’s experience and competence to restore stability.

“The nation is at a crossroads, and we believe that Goodluck Jonathan is the right man to steer us out of the current malaise,” Musa told reporters.

He expressed confidence that Jonathan’s leadership could heal the country’s deepening wounds and usher in a new era of progress.

Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

Politics

Afenifere, Council of Obas back Aiyedatiwa for Ondo gov

Published

4 days ago

November 11, 2024

Trends Admin

Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa

Afenifere, Council of Obas back Aiyedatiwa for Ondo gov

Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political and cultural organization, has endorsed Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State.

Sehinde Arogbofa, a prominent Afenifere leader, announced the support at the Olubaka of Oka land palace, Oba Yusuf Adebori Adeleye.

Arogbofa expressed confidence in Aiyedatiwa’s leadership and encouraged him to follow the values and legacy of Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Ondo State’s first governor. “Afenifere stands firmly behind your mandate… Strive to make Ondo State great again,” Arogbofa said.

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Oba Adeleye, speaking on behalf of traditional rulers in Akoko South West Local Government Area, also endorsed Aiyedatiwa, citing his masses-focused policies and the governor’s initiative to allocate five percent of local government funds to traditional institutions as a demonstration of his commitment to their welfare.