The controversies surrounding the abduction of about 300 Chibok Girls, who are now Chibok mothers with the Boko Haram terrorist was never really satisfactorily explained to Nigerians.
There are two sides to every coin and politics is not exempted. In fact, in politics there could be many sides of a coin, as politicians have their ways of seeing things very differently from the rest of humanity.
However, on the raging issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket in Nigeria, there are two sides of the coins, which have polarized much of the population, with each holding strongly their positions.
The choice of Sen. Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2023 Presidential Candidate has further energized this debates for and against a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in today`s Nigeria.
Tinubu, in a statement on Sunday while announcing his choice of Sen. Kashim Shettima, a Muslim, as his running mate, said he was not oblivious of the religious and ethnic sensitivities of the country.
What Tinubu said. He admitted his knowledge of this sensitivity when he said, “I am mindful of the energetic discourse concerning the possible religion of my running mate, just and noble people have talked to me about this.
“Some have counselled that I should select a Christian to please the Christian community, others said I should pick a Muslim to appeal to the Muslim community, clearly, I cannot do both.
“Both sides of the debate have impressive reasons and passionate arguments supporting their positions, both arguments are right in their own ways,” Tinubu said.
Yes, it is without doubt he cannot choose both a Muslim and a Christian as a running, but could he not have actually satisfied both religions if he wanted to? Off course he could have.
Yet the two-term governor of Lagos State, who is himself a Muslim, went ahead with his decision to choose a Muslim running mate, even in the face of the very vibrant and audacious opposition to the idea from across the country.
Senator Tinubu however, went further to say that he has absolute respect for adherents of Christian and Muslim faiths in the country.
He said the he chose Shettima, a former two-term governor of Borno and a serving senator representing Borno Central in the overriding interest of the country.
But how true are these claims made by Tinubu? No doubt, we all have our opinions on this controversial issue. There are a few facts, which are beyond the raging controversy.
They are just pure facts and stand out from the crowd of mostly selfish and beclouded biases out there.
What are these basic facts? We will not identify any particular one separately, but will discuss as many as possible in the following paragraphs going forward.
They pure facts will be embedded in the sentences and paragraphs as the discussion progresses.
First – those in support of the APC Muslim-Muslim ticket. Those who are in support of this idea have tried to sell it to others as a non-issue. They tell you it does not matter who the president is. What matters is the ability to deliver the goods.
Similarly, they tell you that the religion of the president or his running mate is particularly inconsequential too. They say presidents are elected into office to become president of all Nigerians, irrespective of their religion.
Therefore, the religion of the president or a presidential candidate and his VP pick should also not matter either. So laudable an idea. Isn`t it?
In this vein, Bola Tinubu said that if elected into office in the February presidential election with the support of all Nigerians, he would ensure uncommon progress.
He said this would require innovation and steps never taken, adding that it would also require decisions that are politically difficult and rare.
He advocated the need to jettison the politics of ethnic and religious sentiments and imbibe the core value of competence and service delivery in political offices.
Yet, the APC flagbearer did not start leading by example from the choice of his running mate. He failed to assuage the concern of the Christians at this earliest opportunity to do. Instead, he promised them he will do so after he gets their votes.
Secondly – those against the APC Muslim-Muslim ticket. This encompasses those who believe they have had enough of Muslim domination of power in Nigeria and what the country has become of it, especially within the last seven years of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
They argue that even though they understand that the office of the Vice President is so inconsequential that it may not really affect any meaningful changes, just as it has been the case under Vice president Yemi Osinbajo.
Nevertheless, those who are displeased with Tinubu`s choice of a Muslim running mate say that the APC candidate completely disregarded the Christian community in Nigeria, especially those in the north, whom he (Tinubu) by his action have told they are- simply irrelevant and their feelings don’t matter to him.
If it did not matter to him now, it will also not matter if he becomes president. In fact, they hold that should Bola Tinubu become president, then whatever value he holds of Christians at all will perish completely, because he would have proven he does not need their votes to win nor will he need them to win again.
These views are not without strong bases, most of which Bola Tinubu acknowledged in his statement while still going ahead to choose a Muslim running mate to join him in a joint Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Bola Tinubu was quoted as saying, “May I say this to all of you, especially those disappointed in my selection based on religious considerations, I will not and cannot ignore the religious concerns and ethnic sensitivities of our people.
“Taking them into due consideration is an important part of good and able governance”, Tinubu said.
However, he tried to be particularly half-clever by justifying his choice a Muslim running mate on the need for competence in governance above religious sentiments.
Tinubu went further saying, “Religion, ethnicity and region cannot always and fully determine our path.
“To forge ahead as a nation towards development and prosperity, we must break free of old binds.
“We must recalibrate our political calculations to where competence and fairness matters, more than reducible demographics,” Tinubu maintained.
This particular statement about competence could be rightly seen as more like adding salt to injury. It seemed very insulting to the Christian community in the north. Sen Kashim Shettima is not particular a spectacular character by any definition.
It was under his watch as the executive governor of Borno State that Chibok happened. He was never really known for exceptional leadership while in government, nor where there any visible landmarks he left behind after two-terms as governor.
The controversies surrounding the abduction of about 300 Chibok Girls, who are now Chibok mothers with the Boko Haram terrorist was never really satisfactorily explained to Nigerians.
In any case, a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the All Progressive Congress (APC) have since left the realm of political permutations, and now a political reality, and the nation have been given yet an additional a choice to ponder on come 2023.
