APC's northern states Muslim youth forum kick out against Tinubu's Muslim-Muslim ticket

MEMBERS of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Muslim youth organisation have kicked out against the decision of their party's presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to pick a fellow Muslim as his running mate got next year's election.

Former Lagos State governor Asiwaju Tinubu, emerged as the APC presidential candidate after coasting home in a landslide victory following the party's convention in Abuja last month. Following his victory, he laboured to select a running mate after publicly declaring that he will pick a Christian from the northeast geo-political zone as his deputy but the process appeared fraught with difficulty.

Earlier this month, however, after weeks of prevarication, Asiwaju Tinubu, himself a Muslim, ended up selecting a fellow Muslim in former Borno State governor Senator Kashim Shettima. His choice has polarised the country as the Christian faithful feel highly marginalised and already, several senior party members have left the APC over the matter.

Now, the APC Muslim youths have condemned the move to saying they preferred a Christian political leader from the north to enhance the party’s fortunes ahead of the polls. Abdullahi Saleh, the leader of the group, explained that they totally rejected the Muslim-Muslim ticket, saying that although the APC presidential candidate had the right to make decisions regarding who would be his running mate, such decisions must not be made against the collective sensibilities and against the wishes of Nigerians with diverse views and beliefs.

Mr Saleh said:  “As concerned stakeholders of the APC in the 19 northern states in the country, we find it worrisome that such a decision could be taken without recourse to its implication on the electoral chances of the party and the attendant uproar such a decision could bring about in the country.”

He also noted that it was worrisome that of all the country’s political parties, only the APC presented a Muslim-Muslim ticket, saying that in their opinion, it is insensitive and a gross display of a lack of respect for their Christian brothers and sisters. According to the youths,  across  northern Nigeria, there are credible candidates that could have complemented the APC presidential ticket of and ensure success in the forthcoming polls.

“The 19 APC States Northern Muslims Forum sees the selection of Senator Kashim Shettima as an aberration that should be corrected with immediate effect by the relevant authorities within the party for the corporate existence of the country. The implication of non-action in this regard can only be imagined, so much so that the majority of the eligible voters in northern Nigeria have elected to boycott the APC in protest of the disrespect and disregard to northern Christians, whose population and relevance in the scheme of things in the region cannot be overemphasised,” Mr Saleh added.

He stated that the APC must respect the religious diversity of the country. He and his colleagues therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari and Asiwaju Tinubu to replace the vice presidential candidate of the APC.