Gen.Buhari discussing with Bola Tinubu
In the last few weeks, the suspicion that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would field former military leader, Muhammadu Buhari, and former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, as its presidential and vice presidential candidates has grown stronger. Both leaders of the party are Muslims. In Nigeria, it has become traditional to effect a balance between the two popular religions, Christianity and Islam, and nowhere else is this need more reasonable than in politics, especially in the sharing of the two highest political offices in the land. This is the crux of the matter. Thus, there has been much expression of anxiety over speculations that the APC may eventually settle for the Muslim duo as flag-bearers in the presidential election due on February 14, 2015. It would seem that the combination has the potential to arouse the mutual religious suspicion so prevalent in the country, and this could be a significant issue in the coming campaigns. Under the circumstances, both party members and observers have been expressing their opinions on the matter.
APC historic burden
Ever since its formation a year ago, the issue of religion has always dogged the APC but its leaders have always managed to dance its way around the problem. But now the party has a herculean task ahead of it in explaining to Nigerians whether it intends to present a Muslim/Muslim ticket to Nigerians for the 2015 presidential election.
When the party first appointed its interim national officers sequel to its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), not a few Nigerians raised the alarm over the sharing of key positions which, they said, favoured the Muslims in the party. Many who branded the party a ‘Muslim Party’ claim the new party’s ideology is akin to that of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and asked Nigerians to resist it vehemently at the polls. All it takes is to take a cursory glance at the list and one may be tempted to agree with this set of Nigerians. Though the Christians got a fair deal in the arrangement, many have argued that the key positions were given to party leaders who are muslims.
APC leadership at a glance
The APC leadership offers the following: Muhammadu Buhari (Muslim); Bola Tinubu (Muslim); Interim National Chairman, Bisi Akande (Muslim); Deputy National Chairman, Aminu Bello Masari (Muslim); National Secretary, Tijjani Musa Tumsah (Muslim); Deputy National Secretary, Nasir El-Rufai (Muslim); National Publicity Secretary, Lai Muhammad (Muslim), and the National Treasurer, Sadiya Umar Faruq, also a Muslim.
Others are National Financial Secretary, Alhaji Shaibu Musa (Muslim); National Youth Leader, Abubakar Lado (Muslim); National Legal Adviser, Muiz Banire (Muslim); National Deputy Auditor, Bala Jibrin (Muslim); National Women Leader, Sharia Ikeazor (Muslim).
The Christian officers include Niyi Adebayo, Ekiti State; National Vice Chairman (South-West), Tom Ikimi, Edo State; National Vice Chairman, South/South, Uzo Igbonwa, Anambra State; APC Deputy National Youth Leader, Kenneth Kobani, Rivers State; APC National Ex-Officio (South/South), Antibass El-Nathan, Taraba State; National Ex-Officio (North-East), Emma Eneuku , Enugu State; National Welfare Secretary, Nelson Alapa, Benue State; National EX-Officio (North Central).
Other Christian officers include James Ocholi (SAN), Kogi State; National Deputy Legal Adviser, Sharon Ikeazor, Anambra State; National Women Leader, Annie Okonkwo, Anambra State; National Deputy Chairman, Senator Osita Izunaso, Imo State; National Organizing Secretary, Sunday Chukwu, Ebonyi State; APC Deputy National Secretary, Anyim Nyerere, Abia State; National Vice Chairman (South-East), Emeka-Olisa Akamukali, Delta State; Romanus Egbunike, Imo State, Deputy National Welfare Secretary.
Fear of domination
Prominent among those opposed to the Muslim/Muslim ticket is a group, Religious Equity Promotion Council (REPC) . It accused the APC of championing an Islamic agenda in Nigeria just like the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, explaining that that is why all the members of the Interim Executive Committee of the party are Muslims. In two separate statements by the REPC’s Secretary General, Tanko Garba and Yusuf Garba, they queried the rationale of having almost all the members of the National Interim Executive Committee of APC and their presidential aspirants as mainly Muslims, “if not with the intention of Islamising Nigeria like the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt.”
According to the statement, “It is not out of the ordinary that the executive Interim committee of APC is dominated by Muslims. Does it mean that the APC would be the Nigeria version of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Party? Does it mean that there are no Christians worthy enough to occupy the executive positions of the APC, where is their sense of religious balancing, if not to deliberately cause religious disharmony in Nigeria.”
The group said Nigeria is a secular nation, alleging that the plan of the APC was to cause religious crisis in the country by concentrating all its executive positions in the hands of die-hand Muslims, who believe that the Christians were second hand citizens of the free country called Nigeria. Accordingly, the group alleged that: “What the APC wants to do is to cause the dislocation of the harmonious existence of Nigeria as the Egypt Muslim Brotherhood is currently doing in Egypt.”
A different outlook
Responding to the claim, party spokesman, Lai Mohammed, discountenanced the claim of the claim of those accusing the party of religious bias saying that APC, which has its members across the country, cannot afford to imagine any singular religious affiliation. While warning religious bigots and their official sponsors against setting the country on fire through sponsored religious disharmony, he also explained that of the 25 Interim National Executive Committee membership, 18 are Muslims while 17 are Christians, which according to him is fair enough.
Speaking further, the APC spokesman said no party in Nigeria can survive on religion, adding that it is stupid to tar the APC with a religious paint when the party has not conducted its national convention. He said the APC would reflect the nation’s religious diversity and tolerance during its national convention.
Having seemed to have wriggled itself out of that, the party now has another rubicon to cross in explaining to Nigerians why they must vote for a Muslim presidential and vice-presidential candidates in the 2015 general elections. In a country where both ethnicity and religion have become critical factors in the political game, some critics have condemned the move by the APC to settle for a Buhari/ Tinubu ticket, saying this may be an albatross to the party’s chances at the polls. They have thus advised the leadership of the party to settle for traditional mix of candidates from the two major religions in the country.
Those advocating a Muslim- Muslim ticket have argued that having suffered under years of misrule under the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Nigerians no longer care about religious affiliation but are more interested in what the candidates can deliver, especially in the area of good governance. They have also backed their claim with the Muslim/ Muslim ticket of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) which fielded the late MKO Abiola and Babagana Kingibe and won a landslide in the June 12, 1993, presidential election which was described both by local and international observers as the ‘freest and fairest’ election in Nigeria’s political history.
According to reliable sources, those rooting for a Buhari/ Tinubu ticket are not concerned about the religion of the duo but by the massive support they both enjoy at their base. While Buhari has a massive support base in the core North, Tinubu is highly revered in the APC-dominated South West and many are of the opinion that the combination of these two will perform wonders in the gathering of votes during the election. Going by their calculations, while the total votes of the South East, South-South and possibly North Central – Jonathan’s probable support base – is put at about 28million -representing a mere 39 percent, Buhari’s popularity in the North-West and North-East coupled with Tinubu’s perceived influence in the South-West has the potential to net in about 45million votes during the election. And since this translates to over 60 percent of the about 74 million officially registered voters that INEC handled in the 2011 elections, they believe the party will emerge victorious in the presidential election.
Opposition remains
But from all indications, it seems the idea is not acceptable to all leaders of the party. Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of Aviation and social critic, did not mince words when he warned the leadership of the APC against fielding Muslims as both its presidential and vice-presidential candidates in the 2015 elections, saying doing so would make the party lose the poll. He added that an all Muslims ticket would offend the Christian community in the country. To those using the 1993 presidential election as a yardstick, he said it would be wrong for the APC to think that what happened in 1993, when Abiola paired with Kingibe, will repeat itself. He said the country belonged to both Muslims and Christians and that the feelings of the practitioners of both religions must be taken into consideration.
Hear him: “I have said it privately in countless political meetings and I will say it publicly today. Please mark it, the biggest mistake that my party, the APC, can make is to field a Muslim/Muslim ticket in the 2015 Presidential election. If we do that we will not only offend the Christian community but we will also lose the election woefully. This is not 1993 and whether we like it or not we must accept the fact that religion plays a major role in our politics today. Our party must have both a Christian and a Muslim on the ticket if we want to be taken seriously in the presidential election. I implore those that think otherwise to sit down and think this through properly.
“We must not present a Christian/Christian ticket as this would be insensitive to the feelings of Muslims and we must not present a Muslim/Muslim ticket as this would be insensitive to the feelings of Christians. Let us be mindful of our actions, deeds and words, no matter how well-intentioned they may be, and let us ensure that we do not confirm the terrible stereotyping that those that are against us are trying to label us with.”
Looking beyond religion
But another party chieftain, Nasir El-Rufai, disagreed with Fani- Kayode’s claim, saying that religion would not determine the APC’s choice of presidential candidate. According to him, individual competence must be considered rather than religious affiliation.
“APC will present an integrity-competence ticket, not religion. Politics and governance are not to be mixed or dictated to by any religion. The APC will present to Nigerians the best persons with the integrity, capacity and competence to create jobs, fight corruption and rebuild our nation without discrimination.”
Speaking on the arguments for and against the choice of the candidates, El Rufai who fingered the PDP as the brain behind the brouhaha said religion is a private affair that should not be mixed with politics.
His words: “How these persons worship the Almighty God is private to them and does not matter to discerning Nigerians, particularly young people who suffer most from bad governance, unemployment and the Jonathanian culture of impunity. The PDP has no record to show other than escalation in corruption, grand larceny, trillions missing, private jets and deaths of innocent people.
“The PDP’s only “winning strategy” is built around promoting and financing regional and religious division, and using the proceeds of corruption to buy the military, police and INEC officials. They will be defeated, no matter what they think because Nigerians are wiser and will not be taken for a ride any longer.”
While the issue is still a matter of serious debate, analysts have suggested that the APC which has a herculean task of upstaging the party that has dominated Nigeria’s political space since the return of democracy to the country, should study the mood of Nigerians before deciding to play the gamble of whether or not to settle for a Muslim/ Muslim ticket. Some critics insist that it can either make or mar the chances of the party at the polls. For now, the party has to come forward and explain to Nigerians whose votes it relies on to clinch power why a Muslim/ Muslim ticket is the best option available especially as the 2015 polls draw near.
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