The search for who will fly the presidential flags of the political parties in the next year’s general elections has simmered. Another dust that has been raised is the issue of a Muslim-Muslim ticket;TOPE SUNDAY, BODE OLAGOKE andABDULRAHEEM AODU report.
Like a four-year ritual, any year preceding an election is known for serious political engagements and the advent of social media has made it so robust and more engaging. As of the last count, supporters of the leading presidential candidates have been canvassing for support for their preferred candidates via social media. As this continues, the political discourse has added another dimension to it with the introduction of a presidential Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Presidential tickets
The national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is now the presidential candidate of the party for next year’s general elections, has submitted the name of Alhaji Kabir Masari from Kastina state to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as his running mate. Tinubu, a Yoruba man, is a Muslim. His running mate, for now, is also a Northern Muslim.
Major contenders in the race like, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), and Engr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), have settled for Christian running mates.
Tinubu’s action is generating ripples, but in an article titled: “Why will Tinubu choose a Muslim running mate,” Wale Adebanwi said it is Tinubu’s prerogative to choose his running mate, and argued that core Northerners will not accept a Christian as its representative on a presidential ticket.
He said: “There is one major reason and two subsidiary reasons Tinubu has to choose a northern Muslim as his running mate if he wants to be Nigeria’s next president. There is only one exceptional circumstance that would recommend that he act otherwise.
“The major reason is that the core North of Nigeria (that is much of what we call the North-west and North-east zones and a substantial part of the North-central) will not accept a Christian as its representative on a presidential ticket. There is no need inveighing against this reality.
“It is the reality of the north as presently constituted. Tinubu, therefore, has no alternative to choosing a northern Muslim, particularly since his formidable opponent in the election is a northern Muslim’’.
‘It’s nothing new’
Speaking with Blueprint Weekend, a legislative aide at the National Assembly, Aliyu Usman, said the issue of Muslim-Muslim is not new in the country, and that during the military era, the country experienced Christian/Christian, and Muslim/Muslim leadership without any rancour.
He said: “A Muslim-Muslim or even Christian-Christian ticket is not unprecedented in Nigeria as many people will have us believe. During the military era, we have copious examples of it. History tends to relegate Admiral Christopher Wey, who was the deputy to Gen. Yakubu Gowon, and the fact that he was a Christian. Meaning that we had had a Christian-Christian leadership and nobody raised a finger.
“That was our first experience of the same faith leadership. Then there was, notably, the Buhari/Idiagbon era. Not only was it a Muslim-Muslim leadership, it was also North-North. The aspect of them both being northerners have not been sufficiently highlighted.
“Granted that these two examples were in the days of the military and they were unelected leaders. But in 1993, Nigerians demonstrated that somebody who has done his homework can win an election on a same faith ticket. They had the chance to endorse or reject a same faith ticket and they endorsed overwhelmingly, and elected an all Muslim ticket of MKO and Kingibe over Bashir Tofa’s Muslim-Christian offering.
“So, to me, the people of Nigeria before and even now, have no problem with the same faith leadership. The reason why it appears so is the religionisation of our politics and the introduction of affirmative action after people who lost out of power began to play up all manner of sentiments; ethnic, religious or gender.
“1993 is just 29 years ago, a short time in the life of a country. Our social values are still the same except that people now use extreme religious views to scare political opponents from fielding their best strongest candidates. Nigeria’s problems today are the same as they were 30 years ago.
“We haven’t solved them with the so-called balanced ticket. It is time to think outside of the box. Because this goes beyond just politics; it is ultimately about governance. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a competent leader. All we ask for is an equally competent running mate. If he happens to be a Muslim as well, then so be it.
“In the 1979 elections, Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikiwe both Christians fielded Christian running mates respectively. In fact, Awo fielded Philip Umeadi, making his ticket a Southern-Southern one. Yet the Shagari/Ekwueme ticket that was balanced in faith and region struggled to win, with a winning margin of just about six hundred thousand votes.
“Like I said earlier, MKO had the same faith ticket and won. Therefore, it is not a strange thing in our polity. If that is what Asiwaju Bola Tinubu thinks will guarantee him victory come 2023, he is at liberty to do it. I will support him irrespective.
“I don’t think it is insensitivity. It is a politically pragmatic move. He is a politician. He should do whatever is legal under the law to win elections. Our constitution does not frown upon the same faith ticket. Opposition in the guise of religion is nothing more than a mere scarecrow. The Asiwaju and the APC should not let it prevent them from fielding their best running mate/candidates for the 2023 elections.
“The beauty of democracy is that it gives room for kinds of thought and expressions. APC and Tinubu, if they go Muslim-Muslim, will be broadening the conversation base and consolidating our democracy.”
Choices
Speaking with this medium, the zonal secretary, South-south of the APC, Dr. Blessing Agbomhere, appealed to Nigerians to allow Tinubu to make his choice.
Agbomhere, who is also the chairman, Forum of APC Organising Secretaries, said a situation where leaders of some political groups and religious organisations are mounting pressure to influence the choice of one of their own does not augur well for the nation’s democracy.
He said what Nigerians should be interested in is the candidate and political party that will bring desired development to the country and not whether Tinubu would run for presidency on a Muslim-Muslim, Christian-Christian or any other combination of religious faiths.
“The emergence of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the presidential candidate of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, has received wide acclaim, support and acceptance.
“All we need to do is to focus on winning the 2023 presidential election as a party and our victory will depend on our ability to carry Nigerians along. We cannot afford to lose focus by being distracted about who Tinubu may decide to choose as his running mate.
“The solution to the challenges confronting Nigeria does not rest on whether the running mate to Tinubu is Christain or Muslim. Nigerians are not interested in who becomes running mate to any of the presidential candidates. What they need is good governance that would guarantee security, stable polity and social economic progress.”
Ethnicity, religion
However, an Ilorin-based public affairs analyst, Comrade Alifia Sunday, disagreed with both Usman and Agbomhere, arguing that Nigeria has been polarised along the ethnic chauvinism, religious lines and even politically. He declared that MKO and Kingible’s era could not be repeated because of a number of issues.
To this end, he called for justice and fairness for the Christians in the North, adding that a Muslim-Chirstian ticket is the best bet.
He said: “Incidences at the moment in the country are leaving everyone to be skeptical on a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Nigeria of today is no longer in 30 years ago especially during MKO Abiola vs Babagana Kingible’s Muslim ticket.
“Today, the country is polarised with ethnic chauvinism, along religious lines and even politically. We had had incidences of banditry, Boko Haram leaders preaching to Islamize the country, maiming and killing of Christians (church bombing) etc, the country has also experienced series of divisive tendencies cutting across all strata that made the country standing on a gun-powder awaiting explosion.
“So, we must tread softly and be sensitive to any national issues like this to avoid an explosion. A Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian ticket is not bad but the crop of leaders today is giving us a great concern. They are concerned with their personal interest, just to win an election and take over power without necessarily having a concern for the country.
“For equity and balancing, my stand on this issue is not different from that of the generality of the people, which is, a Muslim- Christian ticket’’.
Collaborating Sunday’s claim, a lecturer at Baze University, Abuja, Dr. Suleiman Barnabas, said a Muslim-Muslim ticket will further divide the country, and queried the rationale behind it.
Barnabas, who is of the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences, said there are many competent Christians in the North and the best can be chosen from among them, and cautioned the presidential of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rescind his action on a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“A Muslim-Muslim ticket will definitely change the voting pattern and its outcome; but I am I am totally against it. It will divide the nation the most! If the reason for not choosing a VP running mate of the Northern region is because of the person’s affiliation to the Christian faith, then there’s a problem.
“The negative tag of APC being an Islamic party should not be proved as a fact. If the APC gave that as a reason for not using a Muslim-Muslim ticket of Buhari and Tinubu in 2015, then why do it now? There are many competent Christians in the North and the best can be chosen from among them.
Though Asiwaju Tinubu may win, it is also very possible, and more likely to win with a Christian vice presidential candidate! It is better to win an election and ‘win’ the nation than win an election and lose the nation’’, he said.
No to religion
On his part, a chieftain of the APC and Convener of the Northern Progressive Agenda (NPA), Aliyu Audu, said religion is not the basis for voting in the North.
According to Audu, with a Christian running mate to deputise for Asiwaju, the Northern Muslims are in for a double harvest from the APC presidential ticket.
He said, “There are a huge number of Asiwaju believers in the entire north who will work for his success regardless of the choice of running mate, we are in the majority.
“There are good number of Christian voters in the following northern states of Kogi, Kwara, Plateau, Nassarawa, Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Adamawa, Gombe, Borno and the FCT whose votes can be harvested to about 70% if we have a Northern Christian running mate on the ticket.
“The South-east and South-south have been hostile to our party, it is our responsibility as a party to woo them and dominate the two regions to ensure a total end to the PDP, a northern Christian running mate will only add to our rising profile before their eyes as we have bettered their favourite PDP in picking a southern candidate over a northern candidate to succeed PMB.
“I don’t think any politician is as popular right now as Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the love he enjoys isn’t a blind one so the fans and believers trust his leadership enough to work for his success at the polls irrespective of who becomes his running mate.
“We will be investing a great deal in promoting peace and unity of this country as we won’t be giving the mischief makers any reason to think we are insensitive to the fragility of our nation along religious lines.”
Justice, fairness
In its reaction, a group, Northern Nigeria’s Front for Equity and Good Governance, lampooned those campaigning for Muslim-Muslim ticket for 2023 presidential election, noting that justice, fairness and inclusivity rather than religion should be considered for national unity.
According to the group, those who are urging the ruling party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, not to pick a Northern Christian as his running mate because such a choice cannot deliver massive votes should be guided by the need for justice, fairness, equity and inclusivity to prevail for all Nigerians, irrespective of their faith, ethnic and state of origin, to maintain peace, promote unity and stability in the country.
Addressing journalists in Kaduna Friday, the president of the group, Malam Zakariya Abdul’aziz, said, “This briefing is necessitated by the need to address pertinent issues aimed at achieving peace, unity, progress and sustainable democracy in our dear country.
“The Northern Nigeria’s Front for Equity and Good Governance has as one of its objectives the promotion of a Northern Nigeria united in political participation for the ultimate good of all. Political parties have conducted their party primaries at various levels and have put forward their flag bearers as decided by the party apparatchik. This therefore connotes that what is left is the campaigns before the general elections billed for February and March 2023.
“We are very concerned and disturbed by the utterances of some few voices that have attempted to push out their narratives (using religion and ethnicity) under the guise of speaking for the North over the choice of political party candidates and their running mates. In particular, we found it very divisive, careless and callous for some persons to say that the choice of a Christian from the North will not guarantee Northern votes for certain political parties.”
He added: “They have brazenly and openly said they only the choice of a Muslim from the North as running mate to candidate of the ruling party can guarantee the votes of the North. They are saying that a Muslim-Muslim ticket is the only way to victory for the ruling party. This is incorrect and an attempt to mislead the people of the region into thinking that religion or ethnicity is the major determining factor for the voting pattern of the North.
“Such very unfortunate voices seem to destroy the foundation of unity, oneness and equity which the founding fathers of the region toiled for. It is our strong view that this argument is unfair and capable of portraying the North as being politically insensitive.”
