On Thursday a group of aggrieved members of All Progressive Congress (APC) purportedly from northern Nigeria and led by a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Lawal Babachir, formally endorsed Mr Peter Obi of Labour Party for the 2023 presidential election.
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The group hinged their decision on not backing the candidate of their party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, over his decision to pick Senator Keshim Shettima from as running-mate. The decision not to back their Party’s candidate was based on the fact that both Tinubu and Shetima are Muslims from the South and North respectively.
While I, like many others, commend the Babachir led group for turning their back on the divisive Muslim-Muslim pair of APC, I find their decision to support Mr Peter Obi as morally unjust and in conflict with the group’s position on Tinubu/Shetima pair.
It is an open secret that Obi picked Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, a Muslim from Kaduna State as running-mate, yet, he strategically schemed out Northerners and Muslims from strategic positions in his Presidential Campaign Council. Without mincing word, Obi’s Campaign team is heavily “Anambranised” and “Christianised” (if I must use both words) – which is as dangerous for the country as Muslim-Muslim pair of APC if allowed to occupy the position he is running for. In other words, the APC Muslim-Muslim pair and pan-Anambra/Christian team of LP Campaign are same coin of different sides.
In the LP’s Campaign Composition, Peter Obi, a Christian from Anambra State, is the Presidential candidate, Julius Abure, a Christian from Edo State is the Chairman of the Advisory Board and the National Chairman of the Party, Chief Clement Ojukwu, a Christian from Anambra State is the Secretary of the Campaign, Dr. Doyin Okupe, a Christian from Ogun State, is the campaign Director-General, Chief Oseloka Obaze, a Christian from Anambra State is both the LP PCC Campaign Manager and Deputy Director-General of the Campaign, Mr Valentine Ozigbo, a Christian also from Anambra State is a Senior Campaign Advisor to Peter Obi and so on. The only top positions ceded to the North and Muslims are the positions of LP’s running-mate (Datti Ahmed) and Campaign Council Chairman (Mr Mohammed Zarewa).
From the aforementioned, Peter Obi shut out not just Northern Muslims but also Southern Muslims and non-Anambra Christians (Save Okupe and Julius) from strategic positions in the LP Campaign Council. This clearly shows that Obi and LP are as guilty as APC in sectionalism in the composition of their team. To make matter worse, Peter Obi denied LP’ National Secretary Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, a Muslim from the North, who ordinarily should be the LP’ PCC Secretary, and gave the position to Clement Ojukwu, a Christian from Anambra State, who is the Party’s Organising Secretary.
If Babachir could listen to the voices of majority Nigerians who are aligned with the candidature of Atiku Abubakar and Ifeanyi Okowa, the Presidential and Vice presidential candidates of Peoples Democratic Party respectively. This is because only the pair represents Nigeria’s diversity and unity in terms of zoning, religion and region.
In the PDP Council, the Candiate, Atiku Abubakar is a Muslim from Adamawa State, the running mate, Okowa, is a Christian from Delta State, the Campaign Chairman is a Christian from Akwa Ibom State, Campaign DG is a Muslim from Sokoto State, the Party National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, is a Christian from Benue State, the Party Board of Trustees Chairman, Sen. Adolphus Wabara is a Christian from Abia State, and so on.
Perhaps, Babachir saw these yet aligned with Obi Campaign Council that is even more sectional than that of his party while sidestepping the Atiku-Okowa team that represents Nigeria’s ethnic and religious diversity in its composition due to mischief and hypocrisy. Maybe Babachir’s public endorsement of the sectional Peter Obi Campaign is a strategy by Asiwaju Tinubu to ensure balkanisation of opposition votes to pave way for his victory knowing that majority of Nigerians are against his candidacy. This may be true when one take into account that same Tinubu was instrumental in the nomination of Babachir as SGF and same Babachir almost singlehandedly purchased APC Presidential nomination form for Tinubu.
Meanwhile, in all fairness and equity, it is just for all Nigerians to reject Muslim-Muslim ticket of the ruling party as well as the ‘Anambranisation and Christianisation’ schemes of Labour Party. Our diversity must reflect all that we do – this is the only way we can #RecoverNigeria. This is the reason majority of Nigerians are aligned with Atiku-Okowa presidential ticket.
God Bless Nigeria…..
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