Prominent Christians in the country’s biggest
opposition party, All Progressives Congress, are
threatening to quit the party over an alleged
plan to field a Muslim/Muslim presidential
ticket. There has been speculation in recent
times that power brokers in the party have
concluded plans to present a Muslim/Muslim
ticket for the 2015 presidential election.
But Sunday PUNCH gathered that some leaders
of the party, who are Christians, are insisting
that the party should present a Muslim/
Christian ticket through a primary election or
they would leave the party.
The leaders also kicked against a consensus
candidature, which they described as an
imposition by a section of the leadership.
There were reports last week that the hierarchy
of the party had concluded plans to field a
former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari
(retd.), and a former Governor of Lagos State,
Bola Tinubu, as the party’s presidential
candidates through a consensus arrangement.
Both Buhari and Tinubu are Muslims.
Sources said party strategists hoped that the
Muslim/Muslim arrangement would help the
party sweep the North-West, North-East,
South-West and Edo State in the South-South.
Buhari is hugely popular in the North-West and
North-East while his proposed running mate,
Tinubu is a major political power broker in the
South-West and some parts of the South-
South.
Even though the party, through its spokesman,
Mr. Lai Mohammed, has denied the plan to
present a Buhari/Tinubu ticket, it has not
stopped prominent Christian members from
protesting and threatening to quit the party.
It was further learnt that those angry with the
leadership of the party included members who
defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to
the APC.
Five PDP governors, 37 members of the House
of Representatives and members of the defunct
New PDP, a breakaway faction of the PDP, had
dumped the ruling party for the opposition
party in 2013.
Majority of the Christian leaders, who spoke to
SUNDAY PUNCH on Friday, described the
alleged plan to field Buhari and Tinubu as the
party’s candidates as “unfair and
inconsiderate.”
A top Christian official of the party, who spoke
to one of our correspondents on the condition
of anonymity, said aspirants should go through
a primary election and the party must present a
Muslim/Christian ticket to the electorate.
“They have been nursing the plan for long and
they are close to hatching it. Any Buhari/
Tinubu or Muslim/Muslim ticket may mark the
end of the party. It will be an insult to us the
Christians and we will not hesitate to leave
their party for them,” the source stated.
Another aggrieved top shot of the party, who
also pleaded anonymity, said although Buhari
and Tinubu had not made their intention to
contest known, the alleged plan was already
creating tension in the party.
“That is what they want to do and we will not
agree with it. A lot of us are aware but nobody
wants to speak out yet. It is an open secret;
everybody is aware. There is a massive
reaction against it from all corners. Even APC
members in the United Kingdom and America
are protesting. Christian leaders in Nigeria have
been calling us to say they will not support a
Muslim/Muslim ticket.
“They stand the risk of splitting this party if
they are not careful. This is a very sad
development. The Peoples Democratic Party
will take advantage of it. Some people that
joined us from the PDP are already threatening
to go back because of this Muslim/Muslim
ticket controversy,” the source stated
Similarly, the first civilian governor of Edo
State, John Odigie-Oyegun, who is a prominent
member of APC, told SUNDAY PUNCH on
Friday, that a primary election must take place
to elect candidates.
He said, “I know the party has been discussing
this issue (ticket) and we are in the process of
setting up our structures. It is for the people to
decide; not even the national executive can take
that decision. We must have primaries. Even if
there is only one aspirant, we will still conduct
a primary election to confirm the aspirant. It is
impossible to impose. Who can impose? With
the way the party is structured, it won’t be
easy for anybody to impose.”
A former Minister of Aviation and member of
the APC, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, had on
Monday warned the leadership of the party
against fielding Muslims as both its presidential
and vice-presidential candidates in the election.
Source: Punch Nigeria
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In as much as Buhari and Tinubu would not disturb Christianity, then why not, Abegii what has the non muslim Goodluck done, he increase fuel price, were is subsidy money! Now that His tenure wants to be up He now workin ! Abegi Buhari ride on