Says Tinubu’s action, display of double standards
Elder statesman and convener of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark, has described the choice of Alhaji Kassim Shettima as running mate to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as ill-advised and a threat to Nigeria’s secular status.
Clark, a former Minister of Information and Culture, said that Nigeria was not only a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation, but constitutionally a secular state where the number one and number two positions in the country, viz, President and Vice President, have always been occupied by practitioners of the two major religions, Christianity and Islam, to ensure balancing.
In a reaction to the choice of Shettima as Tinubu’s running mate, Clark recalled that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives’ Congress (APC), Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu, could not be chosen in 2015 as Vice President to Muhammadu Buhari, because he is a Muslim and Muhammadu Buhari is a Muslim, arguing that Tinubu’s latest decision amounted to double standards.
“I feel threatened for our beloved country because of the way things are going.
“A good leader must act in the same way at all times, to all people. He must not display double standards.
“Such choice is not inclusive, it is not good for a secular state like Nigeria.
“There is presently a sharp division in the country, even on religious lines, and all patriots are seeking ways to salvage the situation. Therefore, Alhaji Tinubu’s decision to take a fellow Muslim as his running mate, will further worsen the situation in the country,” he said.
On the reasons adduced by Tinubu on why he chose Kashim Shettima as running-mate, Clark wondered if there are no Christians in the APC from the North who are “competent, capable and reliable”.
According to Clark, the current move by Tinubu tends to lend credence to the rumours of an attempt to Islamise the country.
“Are all these pointers to the confirmation and actualisation of such rumours. One need to bear in mind the antecedents of the major backers of Alhaji Ahmed Tinubu’s ambition, which include Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, the Governor of Kaduna State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the Governor of Kano State, and the chosen one – Kashim Shettima.
“Both the Governor and Deputy Governor in Kaduna State, are Muslims. A blatant action by the Governor, Nasir el-Rufai. Unfortunately, the APC gubernatorial candidate for the 2023 election, is following suit. Is there a deliberate move of making Kaduna an Islamic State?
“Unconfirmed statistics put the ratio of Christians and Muslims in Kaduna State as 50/50; some statistics even put it as 55% for Christians and 45% for Muslims, yet Nasir el-Rufai, despite complaints and agitations by people not only from Kaduna State, but from the entire country, ‘decided’ to pick a Muslim as his Deputy.
“It is an illusion to think that except one is from the north, you may not win the election. So, the idea that unless you come from the north or you are a Muslim, or a Muslim supports you if you are not a Muslim, you cannot win an election, should immediately be jettisoned by proponents of such an idea. The north needs the south to be in power, same way the south needs the north to be in power. No part can do it alone.”