A former deputy national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Yekini Nabena, has asked Nigerians to be more worried about fairness and the conventional zoning arrangement between North and South which was killed by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) instead of the Muslim-Muslim ticket settled for by the governing party.
According to him, abandoning zoning is more harmful to the unity of Nigeria, compared to a single faith ticket.
Urging Nigerians to ignore the unnecessary cry by the opposition parties, the APC chieftain said Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC is harmless because there are Muslims in the North, as well as all parts of the South.
Speaking with journalists yesterday in Abuja, Nabena said in the South South geopolitical zone where most of the states have Christian-Christian governor and deputy governor, the states are yet to develop despite their huge oil revenues.
The APC former spokesman also said going by history, a single faith ticket is not new in Nigeria.
He recalled that Nigeria had Buhari/Idiagbon Muslim-Muslim ticket, Gowon/Adewale Christian-Christian ticket in the past and the heavens did not fall.
He added that in 2011 when Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) fielded Nuhu Ribadu and Fola Adeola, both Muslims, there was no cry by the opposition because the ticket stood no chance of winning.
Nabena said, “None of those agitating against the Muslim-Muslim ticket on the basis of fairness have considered the African Traditional Worshippers. How fair is it that we are agitating for fairness and equity to share power between Christians and Muslims while completely ignoring and alienating our African Traditional Worshippers, where is the justice?
“Nigeria should worry more about the zoning arrangement which the PDP has just killed for their selfish interest and desperation of its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, because for Atiku it is the last chance which will become one-chance for him by 2023.”
On whether Muslim-Muslim ticket will sell in the South South where he hails from, the Bayelsa-born politician said, “In the South-south where we have Christian-Christian ticket for the Governor and Deputy Governor still there is no tangible development. Take for example, the NDDC headed by a Christian minister and a Christian managing director, what is the result?
“The APC has done the right thing by zoning the presidency to the South. Nigerians must know that religion is a matter of individual race, the most important thing is that the presidency is in the South compared to PDP’s unfair treatment to the South.”
The APC former spokesman urged Nigerians to reject PDP in 2023 to register their anger against the injustice done to the zoning arrangement.
“PDP zoned Presidency to the North while the incumbent President is from the North, a Muslim and Fulani man, just like Atiku. This is actually calls for anger and not harmless Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC,” Nabena said.
