Seek Buhari’s view on Muslim-Muslim ticket
Thousands of All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders and supporters in the six North Central states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) staged a peaceful protest in Abuja, yesterday, over the appointment of Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, as the Director General of APC Presidential Campaign Council.
The APC North Central stakeholders also marched to the Presidential Villa to submit a protest letter to President Muhammadu Buhari over the Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by the party.
Wielding placards with inscriptions such as “On North Central Christian vice presidential candidate we stand”, “Lalong is on his own!”, “Dear Asiwaju, keep your DG; give us a Christian VP”, the protesters described the appointment of Lalong as APC campaign DG as an insult to the zone, adding that they will only accept the position of the vice president.
Leader of the group, Dauda Yakubu, said various indices at play so far within the party do not suggest that the Christians from Northern Nigeria were considered in the party’s scheme of affairs.
He recalled that the party had neglected advice from concerned stakeholders by nominating a Northern Muslim as presidential running mate.
According to him, party stakeholders, especially Northern Christians, felt humiliated by the actions of the party’s leadership in recent times, which he said do not demonstrate ethnic and religious inclusion.
He urged Buhari to make his position known on the party’s same faith ticket.
Yakubu said: “We feel the appointment of Lalong as the DG of the Presidential Campaign Council is an insult to our collective sensibilities as devoted party faithful in North Central.
“Mr. President may wish to recall that in the annals of the party, the North Central zone has demonstrated unalloyed commitment to its development. But what has the North Central received in return?
“We came from near and far to witness first-hand the news that you indeed sanctioned the Muslim-Muslim ticket of our party. There have also been insinuations that the vice presidential ticket was not given to a Northern Christian because you supported it.”
Yakubu observed that the APC is the only party that didn’t consider the country’s religious sensitivity in the composition of its presidential team, adding that it is not on the strength of a lack of qualified and credible candidates.
He urged the party leadership to convoke an emergency meeting to reflect the wishes and interests of Northern Christians in the composition of the presidential team of the party for the 2023 presidential elections.
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