- Ex-SGF Babachir Lawal Urge Voters To Reject Tinubu Ticket
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Friday accused the opponents of his Muslim-Muslim ticket as misguided persons seeking to stoke religious and ethnic divisions among the people.
Tinubu, who also accused his opponents of attempting to destroy social harmony and reign violence on the country, said in a statement to congratulate the newly-elected President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Reverend Daniel Okoh, that all faiths in Nigeria must agree to live in peace and eschew violence and hatred.
This is as Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), has called on Nigerians not to vote for any ticket that is not mixed between Christians and Muslims during the 2023 elections.
Lawal, a former ally of Tinubu, said the Muslim-Muslim ticket of APC for the 2023 poll will be resisted with prayers and Permanent Voters Card (PVC).
He stated that the ticket is “a calculated anti-Christian exclusion agenda that is being implemented.”
The APC Presidential candidate picked Kashim Shettima, the former governor of Borno State who’s also a Muslim, as his running mate, a development that elicited outrage from key stakeholders, particularly the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
But Tinubu dismissed his critics, saying that “as a nation, we are in a critical moment where misguided and terrible actors attempt to destroy social harmony and reign violence on us all. These awful forces seek to stoke religious and ethnic divisions in hope of pitting Nigerian brother against Nigerian brother. While we may not agree on everything, all well-meaning Nigerians agree that we must live in peace, must respect and honour our diversity and eschew violence and hatred.”
The APC presidential candidate said that instead of dwelling on the Muslim-Muslim ticket issue, CAN should seek the betterment of the country, adding that the newly elected President of the association should be advocating for benefits of democratic good governance for all Nigerians regardless of creed or belief systems.
“CAN is one of the most important organizations in the nation. Not only does it seek the betterment of the Christian community in Nigeria, its moral force and standing benefit all Nigerians as we seek to establish a just and compassionate society where people of all faiths and beliefs live and work together in peace and harmony.
“We are grateful that CAN as an organization embodies these and other principles that reflect the values and virtues of Christ. We are glad that the new President of CAN, Rev. Okoh, is a humane and kind soul who has dedicated his life to the betterment of his fellow man and is a person who will work with leaders of other faiths and beliefs to anneal the bonds of unity, inter-religious understanding and tolerance while advocating for the benefits of democratic good governance for all Nigerians regardless of creed or belief systems,” he said.
Lawal, who was originally one of the earliest supporters of the Tinubu’s Presidential aspiration, said at the APC Northern Christian Leaders Summit in Abuja of Friday that there is an agenda to suppress and oppress the Northern Christians.
“We will protect ourselves. The PVC and our prayers will be our weapons of choice and we will massively deploy them in 2023.”
“The main purpose of this historical narrative is to let you know that for The APC, a Muslim-Muslim ticket has been a long-term political strategy and not a one-off decision. Thus, all this talk of competence as the reason for the choice of the Muslim VP is balderdash and diversionary. This is a calculated anti-Christian exclusion agenda that is being implemented.
“One might ask: why is the APC itself mute about our rejection of this Muslim-Muslim ticket? And why has none of the other perpetrators of this crisis reached out to Christians for a dialogue? Why are they instead hiring fake Bishops and taking church groups to further embarrass the Church? Why are they embarking on a vicious media war against CAN and the Church instead of seeking reconciliation? Truly, things are not adding up.
“We see this ticket as an assent to the current and continuing educational, economic and political marginalization of the Northern Nigerian Christians.
“This scenario is what we find in all agencies of governments in the North. Therefore, we view this Muslim-Muslim ticket as an extension of this practice of exclusion to the uppermost level of government.”