Politics

Northern Christian heavyweights launch offensive against Tinubu, Shettima

Published

4 years ago

July 30, 2022

Senator Kashim Shettima and Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Opposition against the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress deepened on Friday as popular Christian members of the party vowed to mobilise voters against it in 2023.

The aggrieved Christian members said the decision of the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to pick a fellow Muslim from the northern part of the country as his running mate was an error that they would fight with their voter cards in February next year.

Some northern Christian leaders in the APC on Friday called on Nigerians to reject any ticket that was not mixed between Christians and Muslims during the 2023 elections.

According to them, since the Muslim-Muslim ticket for the presidency is divisive, it must be rejected by all patriotic Nigerians.

They barred their minds during the APC Northern Christian Leaders’ Summit, saying the insinuation that northern Muslims would not support a Christian running mate to Tinubu was untrue and divisive.

Among the leaders, who spoke during the event, were a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; a former Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; a former Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung; and Senator Ishaku Abbo (Adamawa North).

Lawal, who was the chairman on the occasion, said many within and outside the APC had expressed shock and disbelief over the reaction to the party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket, adding that it was a grand conspiracy against northern Christians.

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The former SGF said, “Our opposition has some historical basis. There were times in the past when Christians produced deputy governors in Kebbi, Niger and Kaduna states. Now, it is wholly Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“It is worth noting that all these are happening in APC-controlled states. They are threatening to do likewise in Gombe, Kogi and Adamawa states.

“It is also now a recurring practice in the North whereby any Christian traditional ruler that dies is replaced with a Muslim prince, albeit from the ruling family even if the most qualified and preferred prince is a Christian. The recent case of Billiri Chiefdom in Gombe State is still fresh in our minds.

“Proof of its anti-Christian agenda is that our party itself has completely eliminated northern Christians from its NWC (National Working Committee) and NEC (National Executive Committee). All our protestations as party members have been completely ignored by the party leadership.

“But as members of the APC, we have the right to continue to express our indignation at these happenings and will not give up until we secure the justice that is due us.

“The main purpose of this historical narrative is to let you know that for the APC, a Muslim-Muslim ticket has been a long-term political strategy and not a one-off decision. Thus, all this talk of competence as the reason for the choice of the Muslim VP candidate is balderdash and diversionary. This is a calculated anti-Christian exclusion agenda that is being implemented.

“One might ask: why is the APC itself mute about our rejection of this Muslim-Muslim ticket? And why has none of the other perpetrators of this crisis reached out to Christians for a dialogue? Why are they instead hiring fake bishops and taking church groups to further embarrass the church? Why are they embarking on a vicious media war against CAN and the church instead of seeking reconciliation? Truly, things are not adding up.”

“Implied in this ticket is the insinuation that northern Muslims are not willing to vote for a ticket that has a Christian on it and on which they are not represented. It is our belief that northern Muslims would have seen the justice in a Muslim-Christian ticket and would have given it their overwhelming support had the party been inclined to do so.

“A corollary to this mindset is that Christians should also not vote for a ticket in which they are not accommodated. Unfortunately, this is the message we get loud and clear from this MM ticket. This is truly a wakeup call for all Nigerian Christians. We didn’t start this religious politics; the APC and its candidates did; so all of us should take note and act as appropriate.”

While advising his colleagues in the APC to spare them the sanctimonious lectures on competence and the cliché of the religion of the candidates do not matter, the ex-SGF added, “The truth is that the 2023 presidential election will be all about religion, and sadly, you started it; religion does matter in this context, so be ready for the consequences.

“It is important to reiterate that we Nigerian Christians want to live in peace and harmony with all practitioners of other religions. We want to enjoy social and economic developments like other parts of the world but without peace, justice and religious harmony, this is not possible.

“On our part, we neither seek to oppress nor dominate any one or any religion. But we will also resist any one trying to discriminate against us and our religion. We were not the ones that started this fight. The APC started it and must be ready to carry the cross it has created. Blaming Christians and heaping insults on CAN will take them nowhere.

“For, how do they expect Christians to keep silent when a northern state governor publicly stated that they pressured Tinubu to get a northern Muslim VP because they did not believe him to be a good Muslim? Is the VP going to be the national deputy Imam? How do they expect us to keep silent when another northern state governor goes to Osun State and urges them to vote for someone just because he is a Muslim? Was he there for the election campaign or dawah? What can be a better example of religion in politics than demonstrated by these governors?

“Clearly, there is an agenda to politically, religiously and economically suppress and oppress the northern Christian. But we are up to the task. We will protect ourselves. The PVC and our prayers will be our weapons of choice and we will massively deploy them in 2023.

“But while we are ready to battle this politics of exclusion and oppression, we are open to discussions with anyone who wants to engage with us in good faith. As I always do, I want to end with this quotation from Romans 8:31, ‘What then shall we say in response to these things. If God is for us, who can be against us?’ May God bless and reward all our collective efforts at seeking to live in peace with one another in Nigeria, our blessed country.”

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Dogara said with the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC, Nigeria was going the way of Nazi Germany.

Dogara, who said the APC wanted to disintegrate Nigeria like the former USSR and Yugoslavia, added that the party looked like a “janjaweed” party.

According to him, the Nigeria of 2022 is not the Nigeria of 1993, adding that the presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, had made a fatal error of judgment.

He also supported the position of other Christian leaders on the Muslim-Muslim ticket, with a call on Christians to seek alternative platforms in 2023.

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Truth must be told that anyone who is not bringing us together is consciously tearing us apart,” Dogara added.

Abbo said no northerner would fight his brother because he is a Muslim, adding that they were fighting injustice.

He called on Nigerians to reject every divisive tendency of individuals to divide the people.

‘They abandoned us’

In a separate interview with one of our correspondents, Lawal said neither the party nor its candidates had reached out to the northern Christians, adding that they were behaving as if they had won the election.

He said, “No, they have refused to reach out to us. They ignored us totally. They are behaving as if they have won the election already.

“We will show them. We will tell them that we are not useless. We will use our numerical strength to tell them who we are and how powerful the God we serve is.”

The ex-SGF said the fight against injustice would be total, adding that any act of injustice against anyone was against all.

“We will not fight with canes and muscles. We will fight against evil with prayers and action. We are not going to stop,” he added.

Omo-Agege’s aide

Barely a month after he dumped the APC over the contentious Muslim-Muslim ticket, Daniel Bwala has announced that he has joined the Peoples Democratic Party.

The Special Adviser on Legal and Constitutional Matters to the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, announced his resignation on July 10.

While defending his position to quit the party, Bwala said his decision was based on “principles and conviction.”

In his reaction, National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, stated that the party never engaged Bwala as a counsel, adding that Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq remained the legal adviser.

APC divided

In another development, it was learnt that the inability of the ruling party to constitute its presidential campaign council was due to the issue of religion.

Sources close to the party said the top hierarchy and its caucuses had not been able to agree on who should lead the campaign.

It was gathered that while others were of the opinion that religion should not be an issue, others argued that the issue was enough to divide the party.

A top member of the party, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the APC leadership, its governors and Tinubu had yet to agree on the composition of the campaign council.

He said while Tinubu had ceded the power to appoint the director-general of the campaign council to the governors, the governors were divided over those being nominated to lead the campaign.

The source said, “Tinubu wants a former governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole. The governors have rejected that and he seems to have agreed to that.

“However, the governors have not been able to agree on whether the replacement to the former governor of Edo State should be the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, or his Plateau State counterpart, Simon Lalong.”

‘Campaign council ready’

When contacted, the Director of Media, Tinubu Campaign Train, Bayo Onanuga, said, “We are not going to comment on the matter.”

On whether Lalong was being considered as the director-general of the Tinubu Campaign Council, he said, “People should wait for us to release the names of those to be appointed to the campaign council. By next week, everything will be clear. By then, we will know who will be the DG and who will be the chairman. By next week, everything will be clear.”

Asked again to confirm if the campaign council would be announced next week, Onanuga said, “We are hoping that everything will be clear next week.”

Meanwhile, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said it was not correct that the ruling party had consistently sidelined Christians.

He stated, “The current Vice-President of Nigeria is not just a Christian, but a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. How has the party ignored Christians? This is APC’s second term of about eight years by the way.

“We have a southerner, who was elected the presidential candidate of APC. The PDP zoned their presidency to a northern Muslim. Why is that not the issue?

“In any event, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made a decision and we are hoping that our Christian brothers everywhere, whether in the North or in the South, will understand that what the APC has done is a decision made by a candidate and it is not meant to denigrate or in any way suggest that Christians are incapable.

“We have Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as our presidential candidate and Kashim Shettima as our vice-presidential candidate, and we are looking forward to the election in 2023.”

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Politics

Osun PDP Lawmakers Endorse Tinubu for 2027, Back Adeleke Re-Election

Published

8 hours ago

February 15, 2026

Trends Admin

Governor Ademola Adeleke and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Osun PDP Lawmakers Endorse Tinubu for 2027, Back Adeleke Re-Election

Lawmakers of the Osun State House of Assembly elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election, while also declaring their support for Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election bid in 2026.

The endorsement was announced at a joint meeting of the PDP lawmakers in Osogbo, where they said the decision was driven by what they described as the need for political stability, continuity in governance, and sustained development at both the state and federal levels.

Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, said the endorsement of President Tinubu was based on his administration’s policies and interventions, which, according to them, have had a positive impact on Osun State and the South-West region.

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Egbedun noted that backing President Tinubu for a second term would strengthen federal-state collaboration, especially in the areas of infrastructure development, security, and economic reforms, while also ensuring continued federal presence in Osun.

The lawmakers also unanimously passed a vote of confidence in Governor Adeleke, citing what they described as his people-oriented leadership style, commitment to workers’ welfare, and ongoing projects across key sectors, including education, healthcare, road infrastructure, and local government development.

According to the PDP legislators, Governor Adeleke’s administration has prioritised inclusive governance, fiscal discipline, and the restoration of public confidence in government, adding that these achievements make him deserving of a second term in office.

They dismissed suggestions that endorsing President Tinubu, who belongs to a different political party, contradicts their loyalty to the PDP, arguing that the move reflects political pragmatism and the overriding interest of Osun State.

The lawmakers stressed that their decision does not weaken the PDP in Osun but rather positions the state to benefit from harmonious political alignment between the state and the federal government.

Reaffirming their commitment to the PDP, the legislators said they would continue to work for the party’s success in future elections while supporting leadership choices they believe would advance peace, stability, and development in Osun State and Nigeria at large.

Osun PDP Lawmakers Endorse Tinubu for 2027, Back Adeleke Re-Election

Politics

Ex-APC Chairman Ganduje Discusses Kano Politics, National Leadership Plans

Published

2 days ago

February 14, 2026

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Former APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje

Former All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman and ex-Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje

Ex-APC Chairman Ganduje Discusses Kano Politics, National Leadership Plans

Former All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman and ex-Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has opened up about life after leaving office, his ongoing projects, and the future of Kano State politics in an exclusive interview.

Ganduje described life after office as less stressful but still busy, noting that he remains actively involved in party politics both in Kano and Abuja. He explained that while the pressures of leadership are gone, politics and governance never truly end. “You can’t just stop, since politics and governance never really end,” he said.

The former governor revealed that he is spending much of his time writing books to keep his mind sharp and contribute to knowledge-based politics. Among his current projects are “Abuja: Evolutionary Development of a City in Nigeria’s Capital Territory,” “Progressive Leadership and Sustainability of Democracy in Nigeria,” and “Progressive Party Ideology and Philosophical Direction.” Ganduje stressed the importance of education, research, and ideology in sustaining democracy and shaping effective governance.

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Reflecting on his early life, Ganduje highlighted how knowledge, experience, and patience shaped his political journey. From attending primary school in a remote village to earning a PhD from the University of Ibadan, he emphasized that education and persistence were crucial in achieving his goals. His career spanned roles as local government secretary, commissioner, deputy governor, governor, and APC national chairman, providing him with extensive governance experience from the grassroots to the national level.

On Kano politics, Ganduje expressed pride that his predictions of a progressive return to APC in the state have been realized. He highlighted APC’s success in delivering the highest number of delegates and votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during primaries and defeating the PDP in the general election by over 500,000 votes.

Addressing the Kwankwasiyya Movement and former governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Ganduje dismissed claims that the movement could challenge APC dominance in Kano. “The Kwankwasiyya Movement will not have any impact. Even though you see large crowds, the APC can mobilize bigger numbers if we choose,” he said, stressing that public sentiment favors APC due to concerns over the use of state resources for national ambitions by opposition leaders.

Ganduje also left the door open for political reconciliation with Kwankwaso, provided they share a common vision for the state and country. “I am ready. Politics is about interests. There are no permanent enemies or friends… What matters is what we want to achieve,” he said.

On the national stage, Ganduje addressed fears that northern Nigeria may not support President Tinubu in 2027, dismissing the notion as wrong. He emphasized that most Northerners accept the rotation of the presidency and are supportive of Tinubu completing his term. “Politics will always have noise, but the reality on the ground is different,” he added.

Ganduje’s reflections highlight the intersection of political strategy, education, and leadership experience in shaping both personal legacy and the future trajectory of Kano State and Nigerian politics.

Ex-APC Chairman Ganduje Discusses Kano Politics, National Leadership Plans

Politics

El-Rufai Says Son Bello Remains Loyal to APC Despite Criticism of Party

Published

2 days ago

February 13, 2026

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Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai and his son, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai

El-Rufai Says Son Bello Remains Loyal to APC Despite Criticism of Party

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has clarified that his son, Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, remains a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by personal conviction, even as he continues to critique the ruling party. Bello currently represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, where he serves his constituents independently of his father’s political stance.

El-Rufai made the disclosure during an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on Thursday evening, shortly after reportedly resisting an attempted detainment by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport upon his return from Egypt. The former governor, now a leading figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), emphasised that Bello is mature enough to chart his own political path.

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“My son Bello was elected under the platform of the APC and his electorate seem to be happy with the work he is doing, so since he is an adult of over 30 years, he can make his own choices. Politics is about personal preference,” El-Rufai said, explaining that his son’s continued stay in APC does not contradict his own opposition to the party.

He added that if Bello chooses to remain within the APC without engaging in any of the party’s perceived wrongdoing, guided by the values and home training he received, “then Alhamdulillah.”

Mohammed Bello El-Rufai, born in 1988, has represented Kaduna North since 2023 and currently chairs the House Committee on Banking Regulations. His work in the National Assembly has earned commendations from constituents, reinforcing his independent political credibility within the APC framework.

El-Rufai’s clarification comes amid ongoing political realignments in Nigeria, where personal choices sometimes diverge from family or party affiliations. The statement highlights the balance between individual political conviction and broader party loyalty, particularly in high-profile political families.