By Linus Aleke
Like a dark cloud that precedes a heavy downpour, the decision by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), to fly a Muslim/Muslim ticket has triggered a gale of defections in the party.
Those who are miffed by the decision of the candidate of the party to nominate a Muslim instead of a Northern Christian have begun to jump ship to another political party in protest.
Traditional rulers, clerics, socio-cultural organizations, trade unions, and the electorates have also expressed mixed feelings, with some insisting that Senator Bola Tinubu’s decision to settle for a Muslim-Muslim ticket signal the begging of his failure in the 2023 general elections.
The APC candidate is, however, confident that he will win the election and had since challenged those who are not satisfied with his choice to wait till Election Day to vent their misgivings at the poll and not on the media space.
Historically, this is not the first time Nigeria is fielding a Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian ticket.
In a debate over the correctness or otherwise of Tinubu’s latest decision to fly a Muslim-Muslim ticket, two passengers who refused to disclose their identity laboured hard to defend their perception of the topic under scrutiny.
It was on a Thursday Morning and yours sincerely entered a commercial vehicle from Sharp corner in Mararaba, en route to Wuse to catch up with a press briefing by the Defence Media Operations.
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The argument between the duo followed a radio programme that was also discussing the Muslim/Muslim ticket. From their point of view, one does not need a prophet to tell their political affinity. One is sympathetic to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), while the other is Labour Party (LP), an enthusiast.
They had all the time they needed to support their positions with historical facts because the journey that ordinarily should take 20 minutes or less was taking over an hour because of the military checks erected to rearrest the high-profile terrorists that escaped from Kuje Prison following a terrorist attack on the Medium Correctional Centre in Abuja.
Responding to the facts alluded to by the APC supporter, both Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Mr. Obafemi Awolowo fielded a Christian-Christian ticket, as well as MKO Abiola who also fielded a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 1993 and won the elections with a landslide.
The Labour Party enthusiast agreed that both Awolowo and Zik fielded Christian-Christian candidates in 1979. But that the important lesson from the elections is that they both lost the election to Alhaji Shehu Shagari who fielded a Muslim-Christian ticket.
He posited that he who fails to learn from history is bound to repeat it, arguing that Tinubu and his co-travellers are not just repeating history but doing that sheepishly.
On the 1993 episode of Abiola/Kingibe ticket, he queried, did Abiola or his Vice ever become President or Vice as it were, even when they won the election convincingly?
He noted that the reasons for the annulment of that election result can only be told by the principal actors at the time and not what the public was told then.
He opined that refusing to learn from history is nothing but an open invitation to repeat the same mistake of the past.
He added that by choosing Kashim Shettima under the guise of incompetent Northern Christians, the APC candidate has issued himself an open cheque to political and electoral bankruptcy.
Tinubu he argued used his own hands to fix the final nail that seals the coffin of his lifetime presidential ambition.
He concluded that at over 70 years of age, Tinubu cannot present himself again for the political contest if he fails to win the 2023 elections, which of course he will not.
Mallam Adamu Kabiru, a trader said that Tinubu committed a grave error in his political permutations, which led him to zero in on a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
He averred that Nigeria has never been this divided and suspicious of each other as they do together, not even during the civil war.
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Common sense he said, would have told Tinubu and his handlers that whoever advised them to settle for a Muslim-Muslim ticket, at this period when unsubstantiated rumour over Islamization of the country is tearing the internet apart did not mean well for his presidential ambition.
He said, “Tinubu’s best bet would have been a Northern Christian. He also threw caution to the wind when he said that he could not find a competent Christian in the North. That was an insult and he will pay for it. The northern Christians are already up in arms to ensure that he does not get any of their incompetent votes.
“The Northern Muslim will not vote for Tinubu either. I am a Northern Muslim and I can tell you that Tinubu has been tricked by the Northern elite. They will work for Atiku Abubakar. He has lost his chance in the North, which is the Northern Christians.
“My advice for him is to be mindful of the way he spends his money so that he does not run himself into bankruptcy. He was amongst those who conspired against Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency and pushed him out.
“The same role the northern elite played is the same thing they will play against him. They will collect his billions and use it to support Atiku’s campaign. As far as I am concerned, Atiku Abubakar is our next President. We should just pray to God to use him to restore peace and hope back to the country.”
On his part, cleric Yakubu Joseph said that the Muslim-Muslim ticket is a threat to northern Christians.
“We have Prof Yemi Osibanjo today as the Vice-President and we are still being killed in our homes and churches in the north by Islamic Jihadists. What then will happen to us if we have a Muslim president and Muslim vice?
“As of today, Nigeria is still a secular state, and not Islamic State. We want a country where we would express our faith and worship our God unhindered as provided for by our laws. Muslim/Muslim ticket is a no-go area in Nigeria today. It can only be allowed to happen when there is relatively religious tolerance.
“Kidnapping of Catholic priests in northern Nigeria is taking a frightening dimension. The Owo killings are also very fresh in our memories. If not religious intolerance, what other reasons do the perpetrators have to justify such a heinous crime?
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“Unfortunately, no punishment for these invaders. We are confident that we pray to prayer answering God. He will answer our prayers, Tinubu cannot be Nigeria’s President. We will tell him that we are not insignificant in the north as he was made to believe, our vote will push him out of the race. The battle is between Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi,” he concluded.
A Senior Civil Savant, who did not want his name in print said that Nigerians should not be discussing this Muslim/Muslim ticket as if there are no alternative candidates and political parties in the election.
What citizens should do is go to the poll and reject the Muslim/Muslim ticket if they don’t like it.
It, however, is on the premise of this advice that one can conclude by calling on eligible voters in Nigeria to obtain their Permanent Voters Card, to select the leader of their choice come 2023.
