Former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) against making the mistake of fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2015 Presidential election.
Fani-Kayode, who himself is a chieftain of the party, said on Saturday that the consequences of such mistake would be disastrous for the APC in the 2015 poll.
The outspoken politician, who decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to APC, cautioned the leaders of his party against confirming the terrible stereotyping that the enemies of the party were trying to label the party with.
Besides, Fani-Kayode stressed that his party must also not make the mistake of fielding a Christian-Christian ticket, as religion constitute a vital aspect of electioneering.
Reacting to development in the APC, Fani-Kayode said: “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.
“Our party must have both a Christian and a Muslim on the ticket if we want to be taken seriously in the Presidential election.
“I implore those that think otherwise to sit down and think this through properly.
“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 never support a ticket that presents two members of the same faith no matter what the consequences would be.”
He added that Nigeria belonged to both Muslims and Christians.
According to him, “We are all one and we must ensure that we do not hurt the feelings or the sensitivities of one another either advertantly or inadvertently. As they say ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
“Let us be mindful of our actions, deeds and words, no matter how well-intentioned they may be, and let us ensure that we do not confirm the terrible stereotyping that those that are against us are trying to label us with.
The APC is the only hope for Nigeria. Let us not mess it up by making the wrong choices. A word is enough for the wise,” the ex-minister admonished.
Source: Daily Independent
