A former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, has described as first bold step by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the nomination of Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.
The former governor of Edo state disclosed this on Thursday while featuring on TVC’s Breakfast show.
The Edo North senatorial candidate who described the debate over Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC as unnecessary, said he is satisfied that Asiwaju’s decision is right with the growing number of opposition parties joining the debate.
Mr Oshiomhole said he is deeply worried that Nigerians, and indeed the media are more concerned with conversations around Muslim-Muslim ticket rather than issues that will affect their livelihoods.
He urged Nigerians to ask questions about good governance rather than issues of religion that has not really taken the nation anywhere.
The former labour leader described Senator Kashim Shettima as competent, qualified and a worthy party man who will help the party’s candidate deliver on his his electoral promises.
Mr Oshiomhole said the allegation that the APC presidential candidate is planning to Islamise Nigeria is a mere political propaganda. He queries how someone who could not Islamise his immediate family and home will do so for the country.
“I think the more the opposition parties join the Muslim-Muslim ticket debate, the more I am satisfied that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s decision is right. We need courageous people and we can’t continue to do business as usual.
“Nigerians complain things are not working and we’ve struggled to balance this religious issue in recent past. If balancing is all we need to fix this country. since 1999 it has been efforts to balance the religion, ethnicity, primordial at the expense of good governance.
I think Asiwaju has taken first step that this government when elected, will have the courage to take bold decisions that are necessary to reposition Nigeria. We must think outside the box.
“For ordinary Nigerians who do not have access to TV and newspaper, I don’t think it bothers them, who is coming in and who will create the jobs, jobs that will pay decent wages, who will bring an end to this endless destruction to academic calendar, who will ensure the textile industry is back, moving the economy away from just talking about growth to actual development. For me I am satisfied that Asiwaju has taken the first bold step, when elected he will take decisions that will turn the fortunes of the country.
“For those saying his plan is to islamise Nigeria, the question is that, even the candidate himself, Asiwaju, has he Islamised his family? His wife is a pastor and he did’t stop that., so can he Islamise Nigeria.
“I am troubled that even at this time that both Christians and Muslims poor are united in poverty, those who are seeking political office indulge themselves in balancing religion, ethnicity and all the dysfunctional primordial sentiments. For me there has to be a courageous person, and Asiwaju has shown that he is one that will take religion to where it becomes where CAN manages the business of the church, JNI manages Mosques and not meddle into politics
“Giving the level of criminality, fraud, corruption in Nigeria, does it reflect the society that is so religious? I see a lot of hypocrisy. In my view, only God knows who is a believer. The fact that a man goes to Church tells you little or nothing about his beliefs. The fact that a man sleeps in the mosque is not enough evidence he is a Muslim. We have people who go to Mosque to steal people’s shoes, just like I have seen people who to Church to steal handset, those are not Christians, those are not Muslims.
Our presidential candidate is a happily married man, He has demonstrated not only religious tolerance, but respect for people’s choice of faith. If I have my way, state of origin, gender, religion would be deleted from our state documents.
