Northern elders have backed the decision of Senate
President, Bukola Saraki and Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai to block
the bid of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate in
the 2015 Presidential election.
Tinubu had in a book titled ‘Against the Run of Play’,
authored by the Chairman of ThisDay Editorial Board, Olusegun Adeniyi, accused
Saraki and El-Rufai of telling Buhari not to pick him as VP.
A chieftain of the Northern Elders Forum, Bitrus Dangiwa while
speaking with Punch said a Muslim-Muslim ticket would have worked against the
All Progressives Congress.
He praised Saraki for ensuring that Buhari did not pick
Tinubu as his running mate.
“Tinubu’s thought of becoming (Nigeria’s) Vice President to
a Muslim presidential candidate was not only self-centred or selfish, but it
would have worked against the APC. We knew Tinubu’s move for a very long time –
most northerners contributed to Saraki’s choice of working against a
Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2015 poll.
“So, Saraki’s decision not to have a Muslim-Muslim ticket
was in the best interest of the socio-political development of the nation.
There are still good Muslims and good Christians who mean well for this
country, and Saraki is one of such good examples,” he said.
National Leader of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum,
Yerima Shettima said the All Progressives Congress (APC) wouldn’t have won the
election if Tinubu was presented as Buhari’s running mate.
“There’s no way that Muslim-Muslim ticket could have worked
with the current way the country is set up and with Tinubu who wanted to run
with Buhari. The APC would have lost the election. While the youths of this
country want a situation whereby religion, ethnicity and language do not
determine who govern the country, we are mindful of the fact that present
realities wouldn’t have given victory to the APC if it had Muslims for its
candidates (president and vice president). Everybody knows that Tinubu wasn’t
an ideal person to be Buhari’s running mate.
“Making him Buhari’s running mate would have affected the
party adversely. It is true that he has helped many people. He has been useful
to many causes and people. But I am not sure anybody would have supported him
as Buhari’s running mate. As he said during the week that Senate President
Bukola Saraki and Governor Nasir el-Rufai blocked his chance of becoming
Buhari’s running mate – that wasn’t a bad move because APC wouldn’t have won
the election with a Muslim-Muslim ticket involving a Tinubu,” Shettima stated.
National Executive Council member of the Arewa Consultative
Forum, Mohammed Abdulrahman added that there was no viability for two Muslims
ruling the country.
He said, “There is no viability for any two people that are
Muslims to steer the ship of peace and unity in Nigeria at the moment. Tinubu
is a Christian most of the time. It is only when it is convenient for him that
he is a Muslim. It is when it is convenient that he becomes Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“He is what we call ‘Christ-Mus.’ He is a ceremonial
religious person. But they (APC) would never have made it (with him and Buhari
for the 2015 presidential poll). That will not push Nigeria forward.”
By Azeez Adeniyi
