A stalwart of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and former Nigeria Ambassador to Ukraine, Ambassador Ibrahim Kasai, has stated that it will be difficult to market a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in the Middle Belt and some parts of the country.
Speaking with Nigerian Tribune, Ambassador Kasai who said it was a wrong permutation stated that the idea of the same faith for both presidential and vice president ticket was a costly mistake for the All Progressive Congress (APC).
His words: “A mistake has been made, whoever brings this kind of idea at this period did not understand the dynamics of politics in Nigeria and the North in particular. It is an error and a big mistake for the APC.
“In a place like Plateau, it will be difficult to market the party. When the idea of a Muslim/Muslim ticket came like a rumour, many of us dismissed it, I thought it was an idea from some bigots but I did not expect that this is what we are going to see at the end of the day.
“I believe Nigeria has not reached that stage where religion does not matter in anything we are doing. Even in advanced countries, when you have a concentration of a particular religion or race, especially religion you can predict the voting pattern of those places. Religion is part of the culture, it is part of peoples lives and politics is a social phenomenon, whether we like it or not religion plays a part in our polity.”
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According to him, the Muslim/Muslim ticket is an expensive experiment, adding that the explanation of the Abiola/Kingibe ticket to justify it was wrong and not in tandem with the political reality on the ground in the country presently.
“It is an expensive experiment when people said it happened before – that Abiola the election – no doubt about it, he won but why it is not feasible for him to be sworn-in?
“Already in the Middle Belt, there is a complaint against the Fulani, Muslim/Muslim ticket will now give it a different picture, I mean the worst picture. So marketing APC with this arrangement will be difficult, I thought the candidate will be properly advised, I was shocked by the declaration yesterday,” he said.