Muslim-Muslim ticket is God’s will, APC tells Christians

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FOLLOWING the controversy generated by the choice of a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket by the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party’s national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has allayed fears of Christians in the country, saying they have no reason to worry.

The APC chairman made this comment yesterday when he led the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) on a courtesy visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at his residence in Daura, Katsina State.

Recall that the APC presidential candidate Ahmed Bola Tinubu had on Monday announced former Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, as his running mate, sparking angry reactions from several Christians and Christian bodies in the country who argued that the move failed to take into account the country’s diversity.

But describing the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket as the work and will of God, Senator Adamu expressed also expressed confidence that the ruling party will win coming Saturday’s Osun governorship election as a pointer to its victory in 2023.

Speaking with journalists after meeting held behind closed doors with the president, the former Nasarawa State governor said the visit was to inform him about APC governorship mega rally in Osun State on Tuesday.

On the vexatious Muslim-Muslim ticket, Adamu explained that the party went through a rigorous, practical selection process before arriving at the decision.

According to him, Shettima is a Nigerian citizen who must not necessarily be either Muslim or Christian before being selected as the running mate to a presidential candidate.

Adamu said while nobody was willing to promote a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, the party was confronted by what he described as the reality of politics in the country in its quest to win the 2023 presidential poll.

He further said the choice of Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate should not be a subject to agitation by the Christian community.

He said, “The fact of the matter is we appreciate that the Christians are interesting; no doubt about it. We are as practical as we can in this situation and we do hope that people would see reason.

“Nobody is willing to promote Christianity or a Muslim ticket necessarily but we have to face the reality of our politics in this country and that is exactly what we are doing.

“Christians have nothing to fear. Shettima is another Nigerian like me and you.

“We don’t have to be all Muslims or all Christians. It is the will of God that this time around he (Shettima) is going to be the vice president of this great country if we win the election. And we do hope and pray and we are working to win the election.”

Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari, who also spoke with reporters in a separate interview, said the debate over APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket was unnecessary, insisting that what is most important is good leadership.

“It’s better to have a good Christian than a bad Muslim and vice versa and we should also understand the antecedents of anybody involved in a particular decision.

“If you go to Borno State and ask the Christian community there, they will give you an impressive account of Shettima when he was the governor.

“We should not forget that the wife of the APC presidential candidate is Christian and a pastor. So, she will be the unofficial vice president and representative of the Christians at the presidency,” he said.

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