The All Progressives Congress (APC) group of the North-East political group has said it will be suicidal for the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to pick a Northern Muslim as his running mate.
This was the submission of the leader of the group, Mathias Danima, at a press conference in Bauchi, adding that the minority Northern Christians should not be underrated.
He said with commitment, Northern Christians could do more than their Muslim counterparts.
According to Danima, those clamouring for a Muslim-Muslim ticket are enemies of not only Tinubu but also APC, as such a decision would give cause for the opposition to celebrate.
“Going down the memory lane, when in 2014 Muhammadu Buhari emerged as the presidential flag bearer of the APC, the issue of running mate from the South was amicably resolved when Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu named (Prof Yemi) Osinbajo in place of his humble self to balance the equation rather than having the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“With commitment, the Northern Christian minority can do even more than their Muslim counterparts. The minority should not be underrated.
“Once Tinubu concludes for a Muslim-Muslim ticket, the opposition will start singing songs of victory and that should never happen during our time,” Danima said.
While congratulating Tinubu on his emergence as APC presidential candidate, the group’s leader said his (Tinubu’s) victory at the party’s primary election had proven those who envisaged doom for the party wrong.
He, however, advised that after conducting a successful primary election, APC must be careful of how it manages its success in terms of selecting Tinubu’s running mate.