By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
The Senator representing Kogi West, Smart Adeyemi, has said the All Progressive Congress (APC) Muslim-Muslim ticket is an oversight which the National Assembly should enact laws to prohibit as a measure to ensure stability and unity of the country.
Briefing journàlists on Sunday at the National Assembly, senator Adeyemi said religious war is the most difficult to win, cautioning that the same faith ticket should not be encouraged in the future to avoid the risks involved with it.
The lawmaker, who said he accepts all the reservations raised by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), noted that key positions were given to people of the same faith by the party.
He said “Now on the very contentious issue of the MUSLIM/MUSLIM Ticket, let me say very clearly that I am in total support of the issues and concerns raised by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). I am a practising Christian.
“After Ashiwaju emerged as the APC presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima was nominated as his running mate. And that has of course generated a lot of reactions and agitation. The CAN have made a lot of cogent observations.
“For instance, many key positions were seen to be given to people who belong to the same fate. No doubt, these were pressing factors that ignited the position of CAN and for good reason.
“During my many consultations and mediations, a colleague of mine asked me a question. In his words and I quote “when was the last time we produced an inspector General of Police from the Igbo extraction. When last have you seen anyone from certain parts of the country as service chiefs?” and I had no definite answers to these questions”, he said.
However, he said haven noted these very cogent points; Nigerians must not confront these issues in such a manner that will obstruct the fabric of national unity, peace and stability which Nigerians have all fought very hard to keep.
He said “yes, there have been oversights in key appointments in the past, which tends to keep the Christians at a disadvantage and this has caused apprehension amongst us”, but the Presidential and vice presidential candidates of APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima remain the best for the country.
While urging Nigerians to vote APC candidates in the 2023 Presidential election, the Kogi West senator said his support for them was not because of their membership of the ruling party, but purely based on their track records as both Governors of Borno and Lagos States.
“As I mentioned above, I have had the privilege of knowing the candidates personally before now, and my support for them as individual is not based on the fact that they are members of the APC or because they are Muslims as I am a Christian myself. It is simply based on my knowledge of them as individuals, it is based on their track records and antecedents”, he said.
Meanwhile, he charged the electorate, ahead of the 2023 general election, not to vote party but to vote personality and candidates whom they can trust with power, adding that he is not influenced by political party of any politician, as both PDP and APC are one and same, which politicians use as vehicle to gain power.
