Christian leaders in APC reject Tinubus’s VP choice

Christian political leaders within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the North say they cannot campaign for the party over the decision to field Muslims as presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

Because of Tinubu’s choice?
Yes. On Sunday, Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of APC, unveiled Kashim Shettima, former Borno governor, as his running mate for the 2023 elections. The announcement has elicited mixed reactions from different groups across the country.

Any reason for this stance?
The Christian leaders across the 19 northern states said “Nigeria is a multi-religious and a constitutional democracy and NOT a theocracy with religion as a major national fault line which cannot be whimsically manipulated without dire political consequences on our peaceful co-existence as a people.”

But this happened in 1993. What’s the big deal?
According to them, the current political atmosphere of the nation is different from what was obtained in 1993 when MKO Abiola, who was a Muslim, chose another Muslim as his running mate. That the APC has always come under the suspicion of the Church as pursuing an Islamisation agenda. Hence, the various labels of the APC as Islamic Movement, Islamic brotherhood, Janjaweed party, Boko Haram party, etc. Now with all the positions in the hands of our Muslim brothers, it would take ingenious mendacity to prove otherwise.

The group urged President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the matter in the interest of “peace and stability of the nation”.