The Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, has disclosed why they told the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu, to choose a Muslim running mate.
Mr Ganduje furthered that the leaders of the party advised Mr Tinubu to pick a Muslim running mate in order to curb religious fear and division in the country.
He told BBC Hausa Service on Friday during a campaign visit to the Hausa community in Osun State that the APC settled for a Muslim Muslim ticket overcome primordial religious sentiments in the country.
“We advised the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, to pick a Muslim running for us (Nigerians) to overcome our fears and put behind us things that we think divide us, and we need to start from somewhere so that we face the future,” Mr Ganduje said.
If revealed that if it is not done now, (electing competent people irrespective of their religious beliefs) it will be difficult for us in the future to address the problems.
At the community gathering, Mr Ganduje said Mr Tinubu will be president for all Nigerians irrespective of their religion and ethnicity.
The governor said Nigeria’s problem is not religion but developmental problems like unemployment, intolerance, and economic development.
“We the Northern APC governors agreed on a power shift to the Southern region, we refrain ourselves from vying for the presidency because one of us is completing two terms in office.
“We did not say a particular person from a particular group or tribe should be the next president,” the governor said.
“There is no cause for alarm for the Muslim Muslim ticket both the Muslims and Christians we are all created by God, we are Nigerians, the administration if elected will focus on addressing our common challenges, Mr Ganduje said.
The APC presidential candidate, Mr Tinubu picked a former governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima. Just like Mr tinubu, Mr Shettima is a Muslim,
The decision has generated various reaction among Nigerians. Many people, especially from the Christian dominated South of the country consider the decision insensitive.
Among those who have condemned the decision are Christian leaders in the ruling APC form northern Nigeria, said they could not in good conscience campaign for their party in their constituency.
The group called on President Muhammadu Buhari to come to their aid and convince the party to change the decision.
Also, a former Secretary of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, described Mr Tinubu’s choice of Mr Shettima as “satanic” and “dead on arrival.”
Mr Lawal had, in a recent statement, criticised the choice of Mr Shettima as APC vice presidential candidate, alleging that it was a Greek gift to Mr Tinubu.