Bishop Matthew Kukah says APC's Muslim-Muslim ticket as reprehensible and unacceptable

OUTSPOKEN clergyman the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Archbishop Matthew Kukah has upped the political temperature in the country condemning the All Progressives Congress (APC) Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket as reprehensible and unacceptable.

In June, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the former Lagos State governor,  emerged as the APC presidential candidate after coasting home in a landslide victory following the party's convention in Abuja. Following his victory, however, 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.

Eventually, after weeks of prevarication, Asiwaju Tinubu ended up selecting a fellow Muslim in the form of former Borno State governor, Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate. His choice has polarised the country as the Christian faithful feel highly marginalised, especially those from the northeast and north central geo-political zones.

Adding his voice to the condemnation, Archbishop Kukah insisted that the Muslim-Muslim ticket was a setback to the country’s national integration. Speaking on Channels Television yesterday, the clergyman went on to ask if Muslims would accept a Christian-Christian presidential ticket.

Bishop Kukah said: “Moving forward, the question I have asked my friends who are Muslims, especially those who are from northern Nigeria, is a simple one. Would Muslims in Nigeria or northern Nigeria be ready to make the same concession that Christians made in 1984 and 1993?

“I think that as a Christian, this is totally reprehensible. It is not acceptable to me but that is the decision of the APC as a party. Perhaps, when the campaign starts, we will hear what people have to say.”