Muslim-Muslim ticket, not in Nigeria’s interest

Babachir Lawal, a former secretary to the government of the federation, has kicked against the decision of Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to pick Kashim Shettima as his running mate ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Tinubu’s decision to pick Shettima, a Muslim, as his running mate has continued to generate controversy across Nigeria, observers say the decision do not take into consideration that Nigeria is multi-religious country and would not help the unity of the country.

Babachir Lawal, in a statement made available to Journalists Tuesday, noted that the decision was against the interest of Nigeria and would have consequences for the ruling party.

The APC chieftain said he was totally against such a decision from the beginning and had made his reservations known to the proponents long before the announcement was made.

He said he suspected that Tinubu is currently surrounded by sycophants who will lie to him and malign others because of their interest.

According to him, “The result is that they have played on his long-term ambition to be President and have built it into a sort of desperation and a crescendo that easily justifies this satanic resort to a Muslim-Muslim ticket. This is the calamity that has befallen my friend,” Lawal declared.

“It appears that the gods want to destroy the APC and its presidential candidate and have chosen the instrumentality of the northern Muslim governors and their super ambitious tool and Kashim Ibrahim for this purpose.

Speaking further, “Kashim Shettima is a Greek gift from the Northern governors to Tinubu. I advise Bola to make sure Kashima’s two hands are always in his plain sight and empty.”

“Now tell me which Christian will vote for the APC with the following contraption: Muslim presidential candidate (Lagos), Muslim vice presidential candidate (Borno), Muslim National Chairman (Nasarawa), Muslim Deputy National Chairman (Borno), Muslim President (Katsina); Muslim Senate President (Yobe); Muslim Speaker (Lagos); Muslim Deputy Speaker (Plateau)”.

Iwok Iniobong

With years of experience in Nigerian journalism, Iniobong Iwok has built a reputation for deep political insight, compelling storytelling, and consistent, fact-driven reporting. Over the years, he has gained extensive experience reporting and writing incisive political analysis. Iniobong has interviewed key political figures across Nigeria and covered major national events, including the 2019 and 2023 general elections. A versatile journalist, he also has strong experience in education reporting and sector analysis. His work reflects a deep commitment to good governance and public accountability. Iniobong holds a B.Sc. in Sociology from the University of Ilorin and an M.Sc. in Sociology (Development Specialisation) from Lagos State University.