Protests over APC’s endorsement of Muslim-Muslim ticket, as party denies resignation of legal adviser

Former Secretary General of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Mr. Anthony Sani has berated the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the party’s decision to field a Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2023 General Elections.

APC’s Presidential candidate in the 2023 General Elections, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu had, Sunday, announced his decision to pick former Borno State Governor, Kashim Ibrahim Shettima.

 Shettima, a Muslim from the North East region of the country, is a two-term governor of the state and presently the senator representing Borno Central senatorial zone in the National Assembly; a position he has held since 2019.

Addressing journalists in Katsina State on Sunday, Tinubu said he has settled for Senator Shettima as his running mate.

Tinubu and some stakeholders of the ruling party met President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura Katsina State on Sunday.

The selection of Shettima has now put to bed the hopes of some political and religious advocates to see the APC standard bearer pick a Christian for the position.

The move has also irked some stakeholders of the party, as well as others in the North, including the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) which pulled its support for the Tinubu candidacy.

Reacting to the announcement by the APC Presidential candidate, Sunday, Mr Sani said the decision was taken bluff the ‘religious sensitivity of Nigerians at a time many are calling for inclusiveness in the task of nation building.’

In a statement in reaction to Sunday’s decision by Tinubu to settle for Shettima, Sani noted that ‘the challenges posed by Muslim-Muslim ticket is not so much about winning the elections but about the aftermath of governance in an era some notable Nigerians have alleged Islamization agenda against APC government however misguided.’

“This is because a Muslim-Muslim ticket will provide such persons with more ammunition against the APC government, more so that it will run against the promise by the APC candidate that he will unite the country by making Nigeria feel great again with promise of glory days ahead.”

According to Sani, a Muslim-Christian ticket is what Tinubu should have settled for in the interest of those who fear religious domination in one form or the other.

“I had hoped a Muslim-Christian ticket would be more expedient, considering that such a ticket will not scare the Muslim North due to the electoral value of Christians who control only three states out of nineteen Northern states and at the same time, appease the South which is predominantly Christians.

“If the APC prevails in the elections with Muslim- Muslim ticket, I hope the regime will be mindful of the challenges and go as far as efforts can go to dispel the misconceptions through good governance in order to render such politics of identity superfluous,” Sani submitted.

Also, a chieftain of the APC, Mr Daniel Bwala, has quit the party in protest over the decision to field Muslim-Muslim candidate and running mate by the political platform.

Bwala announced his decision to quit the ruling party via his Twitter handle on this (Sunday) evening.

“Tonight I officially resigned my membership of @OfficialAPCNg on principles and conviction that I hold so dear. At this time of our national existence, our efforts and our energy should gravitate towards uniting our people,” the party chieftain.

Similarly, reacting to the announcement by Tinubu on his choice of Senator Kashima as running mate, rights group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) described the former Borno governor as ‘a hardcore Islamist and hater of Christians.’

“The decision is irresponsible, irrational, unpatriotic, unconstitutional and clearly shows that the Islamists and terrorists of the Boko Haram and ISWAP genre have actively hijacked All Progressives Congress so as to declare full Islamic State in Nigeria.

HURIWA called on Nigerians to make their choice of the best President of Nigeria between the Labour Party’s Peter Obi/Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar/Governor Ifeanyi Okowa because, in the consideration of the rights group, ‘any vote donated to the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress is a vote for the disintegration of Nigeria after the exit of President Muhammadu Buhari assuming without conceding that the APC will win.’

Meanwhile, the ruling APC has refuted claims that its National Legal Adviser had resigned from the party in protest over the decision of the party to field a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the 2023 elections.

A statement by the party’s national Publicity Secretary, Mr Felix Morka, Monday, clarified that ‘Barr. Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq is, and remains, the National Legal Adviser of APC,’ as against the originally reported Barr. Daniel Bwala, who had, late Sunday, quit the ruling party.

“DISCLAIMER: Our attention has been drawn to a false and misleading report circulating on some media platforms that the National Legal Adviser of the APC has resigned.

“Barr. Ahmad Usman El-Marzuq is, and remains, the National Legal Adviser of APC.

“Barr. Daniel Bwala was not the National Legal Adviser of the party as erroneously reported

“The report is either borne out of mischief or extreme negligence. We urge the general public to kindly disregard,” read the statement by Morka.