Former Secretary General of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has reacted to the All Progressives Congress, APC’s ‘Muslim-Muslim’ ticket.
Last weekend, the All Progressives Congress’s 2023 flagbearer, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, announced Ex-Borno Governor Kashim Shettima, also a Muslim, as his running mate.
The news has sparked widespread outrage among Nigerians, with many condemning the move.
Lawal revealed in an Op-ed made available to this newspaper that the development was “proof” of an Islamization agenda.
Continue reading below;
I thought I’d be able to avoid commenting on Sen Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s disastrous choice of a running mate.
I will be the very last person to obstruct my very good friend Tinubu’s path to the presidency. This is because, since 2011, my burning desire has been for him to succeed Buhari as President of Nigeria.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t see it coming. I’ve often read his body language, picked up snippets from several conversations with his lapdogs (some of whom, sadly, are Christians, but the majority of whom are Muslims), and expressed my reservations to them about the pitfalls of a Muslim-Muslim ticket, towards which I sensed they were drifting.
I had argued the merits and demerits of both ticket permutations to him on numerous occasions as part of my obligation to him, a close friend. I have done so both verbally and in writing, and I have also done so with some of his close respectable associates and friends. In all cases, I had left him solely responsible for his final decision, arguing that the consequences of any bad decision would ultimately be his to bear.
However, there could be some unintended consequences. On several occasions, I have also relayed to him advice and messages from well-meaning Nigerians intended to alert him to the possible outcomes of the presidential ticket permutations.
Tinubu is a good man. He is a fantastic listener. He is very humble and friendly to everyone. He is very generous in both cash and kind, especially when it serves his political interests. But I’ve realised that it’s in the nature of power for sycophants and lapdogs to have the most influence on leaders with such personality traits.
They will lie to him, malign and disparage others, and generally do anything to curry his favour while also casting well-meaning associates in a negative light. This is most likely what happened to my friend. He’s been cornered by self-serving, hero-worshipping lapdogs.
This was never the case before. During his heyday in Lagos, he surrounded himself with smart, street-wise guys who could tell the truth to power. He had Rauf Aregbesola, Yemi Osinbajo, Babatunde Fashola, Dele Alake, Muiz Banire, and others. Think tanks, strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, principles and ideologies ruled the day in Lagos.
However, these people have since grown up and moved on to establish their own systems, leaving my friend stranded. Nature, they say, abhors a vacuum.
Welcome to the Abuja equivalent. However, the Abuja equivalents are people infected with modern Nigerian diseases such as religious bigotry, sycophancy, and morbid tribalism. They are mostly political operatives who are not afraid to use devilish means. Think tanks and strategic planning are no longer relevant. The days of principles and ideologies are long gone.
Call a meeting; they will not come. If you make a plan, they will sabotage it. Everything is haphazard; everything is chaotic because they thrive in such environments.
As a result, they have exploited his long-term ambition to be president, creating a sense of desperation and a crescendo that easily justifies this satanic resort to a Muslim-Muslim ticket. This is the misfortune that has befallen my friend.
And why Kashim Shetima? He is an overly ambitious man with a Machiavellian bent and a lot of money to buy preferred-candidate status among Tinubu’s lapdogs. And, as we’re seeing, to recruit phoney supporters, particularly from the Christian community, to help him clean up his bad reputation.
However, as the proverb goes, “Those whom the gods wish to destroy are first made mad.” It appears that the gods want to destroy the APC and its presidential candidate and have chosen the northern Moslem governors and their super ambitious tool, Kashim Shettima, for this purpose. Tinubu received Alhaji Kashim Shetima as a gift from the Northern governors. Bola should make sure Kashim’s two hands are always visible and empty.
True, Bola Ahmed Tinubu made his decision based on the advice of his new friends. And I’m sure he believes he’s prepared for the outcome of that decision. He has chosen to bring religion to the forefront of Nigerian politics. And, as a Muslim, he has chosen to support his own faith. For all he cares, Christians can go to hell with their votes.
However, he must be informed that there will be consequences for his decision. Some predict that Christians across the country will revolt against the APC, putting his election prospects in jeopardy. It will also jeopardise the election of all Christians running in Christian-dominated areas. This could result in the APC being a minority party in both the National and State Houses of Assembly.
Now tell me which Christian will vote for APC using the following contraption: Moslem Presidential Candidate (Lagos), Moslem Vice Presidential Candidate (Borno), Moslem National Chairman (Nasarawa), Moslem Deputy National Chairman (Borno), Moslem President (Katsina), Moslem Senate President (Yobe), Moslem Speaker (Lagos), Moslem Deputy Speaker (Plateau), and so on. Wu na de try woh!
Northern governors and some northern Moslem elites must have persuaded him that they would never vote for a ticket that included a northern Christian. And he has agreed with them. But if he thinks a Moslem-Moslem ticket will get him the northern Muslim votes, he should reconsider. They will massively vote for one of their sons because it is in their nature to do so.
Buhari, their first son, will not be on the ballot in 2023. Atiku will be their second child.
The “Kadmul Islam,” Governor Ganduje, leaked advance notice that Tinubu had assured them he would nominate a Moslem as his running mate. For those who are unaware, Governor Ganduje has a foundation called the “Ganduje Foundation,” the purpose of which, according to its website, is to “provide selfless service to humanity and Islam,” but whose primary goal appears to be the conversion of Christians to Islam.
So, if my very good friend Tinubu, in his desperate bid to become president, allows himself to be transformed into a religious bigot or even a mujahideen, he is welcome. However, it is a risk that will not benefit his presidential bid. But, if he wins and becomes President of Nigeria, he will do so as a sectional president, an Islamic president, and he will almost certainly face massive discontent and opposition even before taking off.
Expecting Nigerians to ignore this blatant disregard for the country’s diversity acquiesces in the commission of grave injustice and discrimination against a large segment of the population. No one running for president of Nigeria should ever use religious extremism and exclusivism to win elections. This is extremely hazardous. And this is very sad.
But, barring a last-minute change of heart, Bola has made his decision. He should be told flatly that in this choice, Nigerian Christians clearly see a looming Islamic Republic of Nigeria in its infancy and are right to be concerned. The Christian community has been in mourning since Tinubu announced Kashim Shetima as his running mate. Is the Muslim ummah satisfied with this? The answer is a resounding NO.
So, how do we react? The decision on how to respond to this deliberately senseless act of provocation is both corporate for each religious group and personal for each voter who values peace and despises injustice. Christians want to coexist peacefully with their Muslim neighbours at home, school, and work. In the markets and on the streets, as we have always done or wished to do. And I’m sure Muslims agree. No one person’s desire to rule over us should be allowed to divide and divide us.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu should be forced to reverse his decision by whoever has the power to do so. President Muhammadu Buhari should use his powers as Commander-in-Chief and APC Leader to revoke Tinubu’s nomination for VP. If the nomination is not rescinded, the APC National Chairman should refuse to sign the nomination forms. There is a story in the Bible about how some people reacted to similar provocation:
“And when all Israel saw that the king was not listening to them, the people asked the king, “What portion do we have in David?” We have no heir in Jesse’s son. To your tents, Israel! Look at your own house, David.” So Israel went to their tents.” (1 Kings 12:16).
I hope Bola becomes our next President. But I’m afraid a Moslem-Moslem ticket will be “Dead on Arrival.” According to the INEC election schedule, the arrival date is February 25th, 2023. This ticket will drag the entire APC membership to the pit. We should all reject it.
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