Nigerians who detest the leadership style of the ruling PDP headed by President Goodluck Jonathan may have suddenly found no alternative in the All Progressive Congress, APC, for the fear that the opposition party is precariously skewed towards anti-secular status, writes GEORGE OJI.
Once the speculation was out recently that the opposition All Progressive Congress, APC, was inching towards a Buhari-Tinubu presidential ticket for the 2015 presidential elections, what followed was a barrage of criticisms and condemnation of the plot.
In the political calculation of the authors of the idea of fielding Major-General Muhammdu Buhari (rtd) and Senator Bola Tinubu as the APC’s presidential and vice presidential candidates respectively, the logic behind the political pairing of the duo was that they would ensure massive votes for the party from their respective zones of North-West and South-West respectively during the election.
By the party’s calculations, Buhari who remains very popular at the grassroots level in most parts of the North- West and North-East, alongside Tinubu, who is from the South-West, going by the statistics of the registered voters and the outcome of the 2011 general elections, are bound to benefit massively from the voters in the 2015 elections.
The authors of the APC new strategy are also banking on the calculation that with Tinubu as the running mate to Buhari, the party will be able to secure the bulk of the votes cast for Jonathan in the South-West and Edo State in 2011.
“With Buhari and Tinubu as presidential and vice presidential candidates respectively, our goal is to secure the core North and South-West, which are the most populous sections of the country and can guarantee us 50 per cent of the total votes in the country during the presidential election,” a chieftain of APC was recently quoted as arguing.
Commenting on the public concerns evoked by the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the duo of Buhari and Tinubu, the APC chieftain said: “Initially, Buhari’s handlers and Tinubu’s men were hesitant due to the Muslim-Muslim pairing. But they have decided that it should not be an issue, irrespective of the accusation by the ruling PDP that APC is a Muslim party.”
Continuing, the politician reasoned that, both Buhari and Tinubu worked very hard to ensure that the merger that led to the formation of APC took place, and it would be foolhardy for someone to come in from outside after the APC has been formed to think that he can get the presidential ticket of the party, just because he has deep pocket, in apparent reference to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Besides the purported plans to field a Muslim-Muslim presidential and vice presidential tickets respectively, one other public worry about the party is that the APC leadership in general is skewed and tilted too exponentially in favour of Muslims and almost in near exclusion of Christians.
For instance, reports revealed that the interim National Chairman of the party, Bisi Akande is a Muslim, the Deputy National Chairman, Aminu Bello Masari is also a Muslim, the National Secretary, Tijani Musa Tumsah, the Deputy National Secretary Nasir el-Rufai and the National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed are all practicing Muslims.
This is in addition of the fact that the National Treasurer of the APC, Sadiya Umar Faruq, the National Financial Secretary, Shaibu Musa, the National Youth Leader, Abubakar Lado, the National Legal Adviser, Muiz Banire, the Deputy National Auditor, Bala Jubrin and the National Women Leader, Sharia Ikeazor are all Muslims, including ex-officio members, Muniru Muse and Yemi Sanusi. Immediately the news of the Buhari-Tinubu joint presidential ticket arrangement was made public, it went viral, prompting very critical and fierce condemnation across the wide spectrum of the Nigerian society.
The major concern of most political observers is that the Muslim-Muslim ticket being allegedly proposed by the APC does not take into consideration the religious diversity of Nigerian as well as the constitutional provision, which recognises Nigeria as a secular state. The widespread opposition to the APC proposition was despite the fact that the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Mohammed, promptly and publicly denied the plan to present a Buhari/Tinubu ticket.
For instance, a social media commentator on Facebook with the handle Abayomi Oyinloye wrote: “How can we pretend religion does not count when Boko Haram from the North is waging war to Islamise the nation? Islamic conversion of President Jonathan is even one of their demands. We will campaign against APC if they field a Muslim/ Muslim joint ticket for the presidential election.”
Another commentator who identified himself as Biodun Ishola Ladepo said if the APC looks far and wide enough, it would find Christians and Muslims who possess “integrity, capacity and competence,” stressing that especially in an age of Boko Haram, “Nigerians cannot toy with a religiously or ethnically monolithic presidency.” Similarly, one Victor Olusegun Oluwole wrote: “Isn’t it time for a self professed opposition political party like the APC to take a positive and well calculated risk with a sellable and lovable candidate, who the youths of our nation can identify with and who exudes change?”
A member of the APC and former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode also at the same time posted an article on his Facebook wall, strongly opposing the suggestion of a Muslim/Muslim ticket candidacy in the 2015 presidential election.
The opinion was entitled “The Strange Dream of a Muslim/Muslim Ticket (Part 1).” In the said piece, Fani-Kayode stated that Muslim-Muslim candidacy will be the biggest mistake ever made by APC. Fani-Kayode wrote in the posting that “I have said it privately in countless political meetings and I will say it publicly today. Please mark it; the biggest mistake that my party, the APC, can make is to field a Muslim/Muslim ticket in the 2015 presidential election.
If we do that, we will not only offend the Christian community but we will also lose the election woefully. “This is not 1993 and whether we like it or not we must accept the fact that religion plays a major role in our politics today.
This is not the ideal but it is the reality that we have to accept and live with.” The former minister added that the APC must have both a Christian and a Muslim on the ticket if the party wants to be taken seriously in the presidential election. He implored those that think otherwise to sit down and think this through properly.
According to him, “we must not present a Christian/Christian ticket as this would be insensitive to the feelings of Muslims and we must not present a Muslim/Muslim ticket as this would be insensitive to the feelings of Christians. I for one would support a ticket that presents two members of the same faith no matter.”
Expectedly, the fiercest criticism of the joint political ticket of Buhari-Tinubu for the 2015 presidential elections came from Christians across the country, particularly from within the APC. For instance, prominent Christians in the party immediately threatened to quit the party over the alleged same faith planned presidential ticket. Some leaders of APC, who are Christians, insisted that the party should present a Muslim/Christian ticket through a primary election or they threatened that in the alternative, they would leave the party.
The leaders also kicked against a consensus candidature, which they described as an imposition by a section of the leadership of APC. It was further learnt that those who were angry with the leadership of the party also included members of the APC who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party.
Five PDP governors, 11 senators, 37 members of the House of Representatives and members of the defunct New PDP, a breakaway faction of the PDP, had dumped the ruling party for the opposition party in 2013. The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, also faulted the planned Muslim/ Muslim ticket for the presidency by the APC, saying the norm was that a Muslim would pick a Christian running mate.
The General Secretary, CAN, Rev. Musa Asake, was quoted in a statement as saying that “if you look at the composition of the APC right now, they are strictly a Muslim party. When late Chief MKO Abiola ran for presidency (in 1993), he was a Muslim and he chose a Muslim running mate. All sections of Nigeria unanimously voted for him without complaints. But you won’t get such from the Muslims. They want us to follow them, whether we like it or not. “They are changing the politics in Nigeria but we are not going to go in that direction again.
They should be very careful.” The position of Christians in the APC has consistently been that aspirants should go through a primary election and the party must present a Muslim/Christian ticket to the electorate.
“They have been nursing the plan for long and they are close to hatching it. Any Buhari/Tinubu or Muslim/Muslim ticket may mark the end of the party. It will be an insult to us the Christians and we will not hesitate to leave their party for them,” one of the Christian chieftains in APC was quoted as saying. He noted that even though Buhari and Tinubu had not made their intention to contest known, the alleged plan was already creating tension in the party.
“That is what they want to do and we will not agree with it. Many of us are aware but nobody wants to speak out yet. It is an open secret; everybody is aware. There is a massive reaction against it from all corners. Even APC members in the United Kingdom and America are protesting.
Christian leaders in Nigeria have been calling us to say they will not support a Muslim/Muslim ticket. “They stand the risk of splitting this party if they are not careful. This is a very sad development. The PDP will take advantage of it. Some people that joined us from the PDP are already threatening to go back because of this Muslim/Muslim ticket controversy,” the party chieftain stated.
The first civilian governor of Edo State, John Odigie-Oyegun, who is a prominent member of APC, was at the same time quoted as saying that a primary election must take place in the party to elect candidates.
According to him, “I know the party has been discussing this issue (ticket) and we are in the process of setting up our structures. It is for the people to decide; not even the national executive can take that decision. We must have primaries. Even if there is only one aspirant, we will still conduct a primary election to confirm the aspirant.
It is impossible to impose. Who can impose? With the way the party is structured, it won’t be easy for anybody to impose.” The issue of religion no doubt, has remained a very sensitive issue in Nigerian politics and that is why over the years, political parties have made conscious efforts in ensuring balance once it comes to the issue of elective offices and allocation of political offices.
However, if the plan of the APC eventually pulls through, it will not be the first time in the history of the Nigerian presidential election that we will be having an all same faith presidential and vice presidential candidacy.
To be precise, in the 1993 general elections, the M.K.O. Abiola joint ticket with Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, was a Muslim- Muslim pairing. Incidentally, they emerged very successful in the election that was adjudged by both local and international election observers as one of the freest and fairest elections that Nigeria has ever witnessed in its political history so far. What perhaps worked in the favour of the duo then was because of the widespread acceptance of the presidential torchbearer of that year’s election, the late Abiola.
Though a committed and practicing Muslim, however, because of his detribalised nature and attitude, combined with his unprecedented philanthropic outgivings, Abiola became the toast of many Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora, the prime reason he emerged very victorious in that year’s elections. It is most probably based on the Abiola experience that the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nasir el-Rufai, is pushing strongly for the Buhari- Tinubu joint Muslim-Muslim ticket, irrespective of the public opposition to it.
El-Rufai’s argument since the issue became public concern is that the APC would present an integrity-competence ticket and not one based on religion. “Politics and governance are not to be mixed with or dictated to by any religion.
The APC will present to Nigerians the best persons with the integrity, capacity and competence to create jobs, fight corruption and rebuild our nation without discrimination. “How these persons worship the Almighty God is private to them and does not matter to discerning Nigerians, particularly young people that suffer most from bad governance, unemployment and the Jonathanian culture of impunity,” the former minister was quoted as saying.
However, as things stand now, and despite what might appear as el-Rufai’s fine lines of reasoning, if the APC goes ahead to actualise the planned Muslim-Muslim presidential and vice presidential ticket for the 2015 presidential elections as typified by the duo of Buhari-Tinubu respectively, no doubt, the PDP will be better for it.
In fact, it is even being speculated in some political circles that the planned Muslim/Muslim ticket by the APC is nothing but the handiwork of the ruling PDP, which is, “stopping at nothing to whittle down the manifest potent forces of the leading opposition party from wrestling power from PDP.” As a chieftain of the APC put it: “Take it or leave it, all these misinformation about a Muslim/Muslim ticket is the handiwork of the Presidency.”
A PDP stalwart, who was quick in dismissing the threat posed to PDP by the Buhari-Tinubu proposed joint presidential ticket was quoted by one of the national dailies last week as saying that “so far, there is no better option to the PDP where morality comes into play, where decisions are taken that would affect members unlike the APC that is built as a Jihadist party.
Nigerians must now know where the APC is heading. “Buhari has once said he will Islamise Nigeria, and all indications are pointing to that direction that the last tool to use to achieve this dream is the ruthless party called APC. “This should sound a note of warning to all who love Nigeria as a multi-religious nation where everyone should be free to practice his chosen religion.
All is not well with the APC, as very soon, there will be mass exodus of Christians from the party to return to the tolerant PDP umbrella. Be wise and shun the APC, or remain and sink with it.” The nation’s political observers seem however united in the opinion that should the APC go ahead with the proposed joint Muslim-Muslim presidential and vice presidential tickets despite the widespread opposition to the idea, the action would sow damaging political seed of discord in the nation’s political live and the party would be the worse for it.
Source: National Mirror
