A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr. Adekunle Ojo, has reacted to the furore generated by the adoption of Senator Kashim Shettima, a Muslim from Borno State, by the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as his running mate in the February 23, 2023 presidential election.
The legal luminary in a statement made available to media houses in Lagos, said that many Nigerians speaking against the Muslim-Muslim ticket had already made up their minds on who to pitch their tents with and will not vote for Tinubu even if he had picked a strong Christian deputy.
“We may never be able to extract assurances from any one on the social media. But I know that 90% of those who are raising issues about the Muslim-Muslim Ticket will never vote for Tinubu even if he picks an Arch Bishop as his running mate. Even if the bishop is from Taraba, or Adamawa, or Southern Kaduna, he may never be victorious in Yola, Kafanchan or Jalingo.
“They may never vote for him. For the remaining 10% they will be reassured and they will most likely show expected understanding and Jagaban might at the end of the day loose 1% of such people who genuinely loved him to the extent of voting for him. That is politics.“
While shedding light on the strategy adopted by the APC presidential candidate, Ojo stated: “No party, except the dreaming groups called parties, will risk losing power on the basis of religious or ethnic correctness.
“If Jagaban picks a Bishop as his running mate, the resentment for APC by some elites and people are enough to make them refuse to shift ground, he may never win in Taraba, even if he chooses T.Y Danjuma as his running mate.
“Have you ever wondered why no Christian has been able to become governor in states like Kano, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, Adamawa, Yobe, Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina, Borno, among others?
“It is because they do not have the local clout to win elections in such places and not that there are no good Christians. Why are there no clamour for Christians to be made governors in those states?.
“It is because they cannot win a general contest in view of their population. Every election is local. Babachir Lawal and Boss Mustapha never attempted to become even governors in Adamawa.
“Should a flag bearer from the south like ‘EMI LOKAN’ risk any political light weights? The outcome is better imagined.
“Elections are not won by sentiments. If the section of the electorate that will enable me win my election are Hindus, I will choose and prefer one of them far above a Rev Father who I know will be a burden to my electability.
“Religious exactitude did not even move God when he opted for Cyrus as deliverer of the Jews at a point and Nebuchadnezer was used at another point.
“What will it matter if Christian/Christian or otherwise will take Nigeria out of the woods. Is Tinubu not a Nigerian?
“The same set of people blackmailed him from becoming a vice president. Why should a good hand be hindered from rescuing Nigeria out of her problems on the account of his religion.
“We all know it is impossible for Tinubu to win the election with a Christian running mate. Kindly allow him his choice,” Ojo advised.
