By Lateef Adegbite
Those who think that all is well with the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, over Ahmed Bola Tinubu, a Muslim , by religion, and former governor of Lagos state choice of Kashim Shettima, a Kanuri and also a Muslim by Faith and one-time governor of the north east state of Borno, home of the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram and Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, need to do a rethink.
This is because the choice of the former Borno state governor and Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria appears to have contined to attract criticism both within and outside the party . Babachair Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federal, under the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration in his first term in office, and who had picked the n100 million APC Presidential nomination Forms for the former governor of Lagos state to contest the party primaries had described the APC Muslim –Muslim ticket as dead on arrival. His worry was that the APC Presidential Flag bearer has been ‘’cornered by self-serving, hero worshipping , lspdogs’’.
The APC national Leader who had picked the party Presidential ticket, according to informed sources may have been influenced by the northern governors and some Muslim elites to pick a fellow Muslim as Vice Presidential Candidate if he expects to win landslide in the region . He was said ‘’to have agreed with them. Even the APC Presidential Candidate had alluded to this that he was under pressure to choose a Muslim running mate to win their votes in the 112023 general elections and not a Christian.
Babachair, a former Secretary of the Federation, may have made the Lagos state born politician and god father of the south west APC, politicians, that’’ if he thinks a Muslim-Muslim ticket will win him the norther Muslim votes, h should have a rethink’’. He was aid to have made Tinubu, the Jagaban of Lagos to understand, that he northern Muslims will massively vote for one of their sons because it is their nature to do so’’.
He had said that the northern Muslims had voted for President Muhammadu BUhari, in 2015 and 2019, as one of there son and would will vote for Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice President , during Olusegun Obsanjo’s Administraton and now Presidential Candidate of the Opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, as Buhari will not be in the 2023 Ballot Box list. His message was very clear that APC, will lose the 2023, Presidential election.
Describing Tinubu as a very’’ good man, great listener, generous in cash and kind’’, he noted that ‘’it is in the nature of power that sycophants and Lapdogs have the most influence on Leaders with such character traits’’, noting that ‘’they will lie to him, malign and disparage others and generally do anything to curry his favour and to also put well-meaning associates in bad light’’. I expect his is what may have happened to my political ally and friend , Tinubu, he remarked.
Babachair, had said that Tinubu has been left stranded in strategic planning, valuation , principles and ideologies because his godons, Rauf Aregbesola, a former governor of Osun state and minister of Interior, Babatunde Fasola, a former governor of Lagos state and minister of Works and Housing, Kayode Fayemi, governor of Ekiti state and Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum, and one of the Presidential Candidates of the APC, during the party primaries who stepped down for him including Muiz Banire and Dele Alake who tell truth to power have since grown-up and moved up to establish their own systems’’, leaving him with sycophants.
Babachair, could not spare Shettima, described as an ‘’ambitious man who has a Machiavellian look and has lots of money with which to procure any preferred status among Tinubu’s Lapdogs’’. An aggrieved Babachair, who could not hide his feelings had said that that ‘’it appears that the gods want to destroy the APC, and its Presidential Candidate for the 203, general elections, who have chosen the instrumentality of the northern moslim governors and their super ambitious tool and one Kashim Ibrahim for the purpose’’. ‘’ Shettima, is a ‘’Greek gift from the northern governor to Tinubu’’, he insists.
The prediction by Babachair, the APC, Muslim-Muslim Presidential ticket for the 2023, general elections would spell doom in the party may have started manifesting as Daniel Bwala, a Layer and Chieftain of the party, has dumped it . Although , he had said the decision to quit from the APC , was based on ‘’principle and conviction’, but political analysts said it was not unconnected to Tinubu, unveiling of Shettima, a Muslim, as his Vice Presidential running mate at the instance of the northern governors on Sunday, July 10, 2022.
He may have alluded to the party Muslim –Muslim ticket for his resignation from the APC , when he said that ‘’at this time of our national existence , our efforts and energy should gravitate towards uniting the our people instead of them baed on religion’’. Bwala, the APC Chieftain, had said that the choice of Shettima, the former Borno stae governor as Tinubu’s running mate was not ‘’good news for the party’’.
He noted that the ruling APC had chosen ‘’politics over unity and ignored the values inclusivity, tolerance, common prosperity and diversity’’. He averred that northern Muslims would have for Vice President Candidate on the APC ticket who is a northern Christian.
Reacting to APC, Muslim-Muslim, ticket, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Leader of Afenifere, a Yoruba, Socio-political Organisation, had said that he was not surprised at Tinubu’s decision to pick a northern Muslim as his running mate to satisfy the whims and caprices of the northern governors and the power brokers from the region to win their votes in the 2023, general elections. He recalled that Tinubu had sold to the Katsina state born Nigerian President to 200 million in 2015 and 2019, adding that he would not want ‘’to give continuity to incompetence in 2023’’. He noted that he Buhari to over 200 million Nigerians for his own selfish interest of wanting to rule after Buhari Buhari in 2023. ‘’None of them loves Nigeria’’, he said.
Edwin Clark, Leader of the southerner and Middle Belt Forum, who had given his words to vote for the APC, if Presidency is zoned to the south east geo-political region. It was not surprising why he had withdrawn his support for the APC.
Despite the criticisms and internal crisis that may have rocked the APC, at the states and Federal Levels because of Tinubu’s choice of a fellow Muslim as running mate for the 2023, general elections, Babagana Zulum, a Prof. and governor of Borno state and his Counterpart in Kano state, Abdullahi Gandunje including Festus Keyamo, a Legal luminary, may not have seen anything wrong with the chice . The trio had seen Tinubu’s selection of Senator Shettima, as the APC, Vice Presidential Candidate as the wisest choice by the party.
Governors, Zulum and Gandunje, particular, have pledged ‘’to vigorously campaign for the APC Flag bearer to weep the 2023 general elections across the country’’. Zulum, the Borno state governor had said that Nigerians need not worry about the APC Muslim –Muslim ticket as it will not in any way alter the political structure of Nigeria. He stops at saying that Shettima has a perfect understanding of the Nigerian economy. He may not have stopped there as he said the APC VP, Candidate , knows ‘’the social, cultural, religious economic structure and political structure of virtually all the states of the Federation and Abuja , the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to join hands with Tinubu to develop the country, if elected in the forthcoming 2023, general elections .
Many believe that the rising popularity of Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra state , and Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, LP, and his running mate, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, described as well-equipped , to rule Nigeria, appears, to be giving the APC and the PDP, Presidential Candidates much worry.
