As criticisms continue to trail the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress, a chieftain of the party in Delta State, Chief Ayiri Emami, has pleaded with Nigerians to subordinate religious sentiment for the bigger picture of competence which he noted would ultimately engender good governance.
Emami made the plea at the weekend in Abuja while speaking with newsmen.
Sunday Tribune checks revealed that certain prominent chieftains of the APC, particularly in the south-south region have since announced resignation from the party, advancing the single faith ticket as the reason for their action.
The APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Borno State Governor, Senator Kashim Shettima are both Muslims from South West and North Eastern parts of the country, respectively.
The APC chieftain said Bola Tinubu consulted widely before announcing Senator Shettima as his running mate. He maintained that Nigerians should be blind to religious affiliation and give priority to the character of individuals seeking elective offices.
He said:” Some of us even supported the candidacy of Shettima. We advised Asiwaju to go and look for a good person that will give him support, whether Muslim or anything. Religion has not brought anything to our table.
“For example, Niger Delta Development Commission is an agency that is supposed to be taking care of the Niger Delta and so much money has come into the NDDC but the people monitoring those affairs are all Christians, no Muslim. Go and see whether you will see any development. Governors running the region are all Christians.
“So, if Asiwaju has a partner that will make him succeed, and will give us protection, good roads, and good schools, I don’t care because not everybody is even Christians. How many people are even Christians in the South-South? This Christianity of a thing, if a man wakes up in the morning and he doesn’t even love his neighbour and he goes up to the pulpit to preach.
“I know a lot of them who don’t have the fear of God because things they do are not what is being written in the Bible. For example, you arranged us to go and rig an election, you rig the election and you go and do thanksgiving.
“I won’t come to church that day because it means you don’t have the fear of God. So, whatever that can work for us, that is what we need at this time and Shettima is going to be a very good pair with Asiwaju. I know some people who are Christians, who will donate huge money to the church, and built schools but members of that church cannot attend the schools.
“In my house, my wife is a deaconess. I used to tell her, and I said look if Asiwaju picks Muslim, that is who we are going to vote for. To me, I have very little and I am very grateful to God. I share the little with people but those that are preaching are not doing so. When it comes to politics, they are complaining about the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“To some of us, a lot of the majority of people that are going to vote don’t understand what they are saying about the Muslim-Muslim ticket. What we are saying at the moment is Asiwaju for transformation. We are not seeing the religious aspect of it because to some of us, the Vice President is a Christian under Buhari, what is the difference.
“Some Christians because of politics will go to the North to go and turban, if you know you forbid something so much, don’t even go to their palace to the turban. Why are you going there, don’t you know it is a different faith? ”
“Reacting to media reports that chieftains of the party from Southeast and south boycotted Senator Shettima’s unveiling to express their disaffection, Emami dismissed the claim as unfounded. He told journalists that most people who stayed away from the unveiling of the APC Vice Presidential candidate did so because they thought having been presented to President Muhammadu Buhari, the ceremony of the formal unveiling of Senator Shettima was no longer necessary.
“Even me I was not there, because to us, Shettima has been unveiled before now by Asiwaju himself. So, I was sleeping at home that day, when they called me. What did I need to go and do there? So, I don’t see any political undertone in that.
We have been told that it is Shettima and we have been talking. Everybody has congratulated him and working toward Shettima. The unveiling was just a ceremonial thing. I assumed other leaders, not in attendance were very tired and couldn’t attend. So, it is not an issue for me.”
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Muslim/Muslim ticket: Those demonising APC should look at bigger picture of good governance, says Delta APC Chieftain, Ariyi Emami
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