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  • Tinubu, Ruling APC Making Moves To Lobby, Bribe Christian Association Of Nigeria Leaders Over Muslim-Muslim Ticket—Sources

    Tinubu, Ruling APC Making Moves To Lobby, Bribe Christian Association Of Nigeria Leaders Over Muslim-Muslim Ticket—Sources

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    There is fresh information regarding how the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has initiated moves to lobby and bribe some leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to get their support for its Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket. 
    Some top APC members of the Christian extraction have kicked against the Muslim-Muslim ticket and expressed their dissatisfaction with the choice of former Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima as Bola Tinubu’s running mate.  





    Tinubu and Shettima are Muslims – a combination that has triggered varying reactions since the former recently announced the latter as his running mate in Katsina.
    Tinubu is from Southern Nigeria while Shettima, a former Borno governor, is from the Muslim-dominated Northern part of the country.
    The APC Christian leaders have described the Muslim-Muslim ticket as an insult, particularly as the party’s leadership claimed that competence was the yardstick – implying that no Christian across the north possesses this quality. 
    CAN and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) have both kicked against the team of Tinubu and Shettima as the presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the ruling party. 
    Some respected party members have either quit their membership or stepped aside from the APC’s presidential campaign and are now ready to hit the streets to drive home their grievances. 
    The APC candidate recently met with the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, following the controversy trailing the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
    Sources at the weekend told SaharaReporters that Tinubu had set up a team of eminent persons with whom he was scheduled to meet the Christian leaders within the party and faith-based organisations like CAN, PFN and the Catholic, to appeal to them and secure their support.
    “The APC, having failed to justify its Muslim-Muslim ticket through other mediums, have reached out to the leadership of the Christian Association in Nigeria to endorse its choice of vice presidential candidate,” a Christian leader and member of CAN told SaharaReporters.
    “The APC has concluded plans to secure the endorsement of CAN towards quelling the agitations that have come about due to its choice of Senator Kashim Shettima, a Muslim as the vice-presidential candidate of the party. 
    “I can tell you authoritatively that APC leadership has sent emissaries to our leadership (CAN) to support or endorse the decision to field a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Talks are ongoing, and the inducement figure is very tempting. I won’t be shocked in the days and weeks ahead; we might see a statement from a faction of CAN endorsing the APC presidential team.
    “This is a big challenge for the APC. I think it has realized that the Muslim-Muslim ticket has elicited resentment from most people who view such disposition as an affront to the sensibilities of Christians across the country.” 
    He continued, “My fear is that some CAN leaders may not resist the offer. It is structured in such a way that it would leave no traces behind. And the amount involved is huge. Talks are ongoing through a senior member of the association with the mandate to get the buy-in of other critical stakeholders in the association.”
    The statement was corroborated by a close associate of one of the leaders of CAN. He stated that there had been tremendous pressure to appease the association. 
    “Before the unveiling of Kashim Shettima, some APC stalwarts reached out to the leadership of CAN, extending an invitation to attend the event. This was rebuffed by CAN, citing no moral justification to attend the event in the face of a clear lack of respect for the sensibilities of Christians in the country,” he said.
    “The condition given was the replacement of Kashim Shettima as the vice-presidential candidate of the APC. The decision was hinged on the fact that other political parties respected the ethnic and religious sensitivities in the country, and the APC should not be an exception.” 
    He added, “I am ashamed of what is going on. I can’t believe that such a topic would be deliberated upon in the first instance. I know the money promised is very tempting, but as servants of the Lord, and at this stage, they ought to have risen above this inducement.
    “Why do you think the Christian community can’t speak in one voice? Most of the members of CAN have been grandstanding. They are in the habit of taking care of themselves. If only Nigerians would realize the rot in CAN, they would henceforth take with a pinch of salt whatever statement that emanates from the association.”
    An APC chieftain confirmed to SaharaReporters that emissaries had been sent to CAN leadership. He however denied the Christian leaders were being induced with cash.
    “We are talking about competence over religious considerations. Talks have reached advanced stages through proxies.“
    Calls put across by SaharaReporters to Felix Morka, APC spokesman were not answered or returned.

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  • Muslim-Muslim Ticket: Tinubu Only Desperate To Win Election, Doesn’t Care If Decision Was Right Or Wrong – Ruling APC Chieftain

    Muslim-Muslim Ticket: Tinubu Only Desperate To Win Election, Doesn’t Care If Decision Was Right Or Wrong – Ruling APC Chieftain

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    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) In Adamawa State, Vrati Nzonzo, has added his voice in rejecting the party’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.
    Nzonzo lambasted the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, for undermining the interest of Christians in northern Nigeria.





    He said the decision to adopt a fellow Muslim as a running mate by the presidential candidate of the APC, Tinubu may have grave consequences for the party, amongst northern Christians.
    In an interview with journalists, Nzonzo, who is also vying for a seat in the National Assembly, vehemently condemned Shettima’s selection as a fellow Muslim, as it amounted to insulting the sensibilities of Christians in Nigeria.
    He said, “Let me be as blunt as I can be; I’ll not hesitate to show my displeasure over the decision of my party, the APC, to make our presidential ticket a religious affair.
    “Making it a Muslim-Muslim affair has brought to the fore the issue of religion in our politics in Nigeria. Tinubu has through his scheming for the ticket promised to pick a northern Muslim as running mate. He openly said he needs to bring a Muslim VP from the North to win.
    “So, ‘ab initio’, he did not paint the picture of competence as he would later want us to believe; he painted the picture of religion. The governor of Kano (Abdullahi Ganduje) was heard saying before it happened that Tinubu has promised to give them a Muslim VP from the North. Several other notable names have been corroborated.”
    “Does it mean Tinubu is not Muslim enough; are we having two types of Muslims or what is the issue?” Nzonzo probed.
    He maintained that the controversial ticket was capable of truncating the party’s chances in the North.
    “Why this issue has caused more damage than good is because for Tinubu is all about winning election, without recourse to whether it is right or not. Now what becomes of people like me who are Christians and candidates on the APC platform? Are we now saying Christian votes don’t matter, if they don’t, are you now not telling them not to vote for me?
    “Because I’m in APC and my party has refused to recognise or to be fair to my faith and it’s people in Northern Nigeria. And it’s not only me, a lot of other contesting Christian candidates of the Christian stock will also be victims”, he lamented.
    Nzonzo, however, pleaded with the electorates across the country who may have been irked by the choice not to reject other APC candidates, “because it won’t be fair to punish us for Tinubu’s sins,” he said.

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  • I Have Left Ruling APC Since, Don’t Know Any Executive Member In Rivers – Magnus Abe

    I Have Left Ruling APC Since, Don’t Know Any Executive Member In Rivers – Magnus Abe

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    A former lawmaker representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe has said he has since left the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, adding that a recent resignation letter circulating online did not come from him.

    He, however, said that he was still part of the family of the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

    Abe, who stated this while speaking on TVC Television Programme on Wednesday morning in Abuja, maintained that he left in order to seek fortune somewhere else.

    This position was confirmed by Parry Saroh Benson, the spokesperson for Senator Abe in a statement obtained by SaharaReporters on Wednesday.

    Abe said: “I have since left the APC in Rivers State but the letter circulating round is not from me. I am still part of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s family and has no issue with him whatsoever.

    “I am a part of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political family and I’m also part of his own family, and that is a very separate thing, from the politics of Rivers State.

    “Yesterday, there were some funny letters circulating on the internet, that I have resigned from the APC because Asiwaju refused to intervene in the politics of Rivers State; that is ridiculous, all politics is local, I have no interest whatsoever in the APC in Rivers State.

    “When people talk about resignation, how do I resign from the party I don’t even know who the ward chairman is, so I couldn’t have written a letter to people that I don’t know, what I know from the Constitution of the APC, and the constitution of the country is that there are several means by which you leave the party, and one of the means is by way of resignation. So resignation is just one of the ways that are available to members to leave the party.

    “You can leave by resignation, you can leave by death, you can withdraw your membership, you can join another political party, the way the APC is sinking in Rivers State, it makes no sense for any politician that has serious political interest in the State to remain in the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State.

    “I have no stake in the APC in Rivers State, I don’t know anybody that is in the entire executive of the APC in all the 319 wards in the State. I don’t even know who my ward chairman is neither do I know any ward ex-officio, officer of the party. I don’t have anybody who is running for any office in the APC in Rivers State that I know, except Asiwaju who is running for President.

     

     

    “I have absolutely no stake in the party in Rivers State and all politics at the end of the day is local. And so it will be irresponsible of me to stay in the APC in Rivers State and support a party in which I have no stake in their victory.

    “So it is clear to everybody who is watching the politics of this country that my future in the politics of Rivers State is not tied to the All Progressives Congress and so it is clear that I’m no longer a member of the APC in Rivers State as far as that goes, but the purported letter flying around wasn’t authored by me and I know absolutely nothing about it. And, it does not reflect my views and my opinions as far as the politics of Rivers State is concerned.

    “I have said in the coming days a lot of things will unfold but the issue of me and the APC in Rivers State I think that was decided a long time ago.

    “I don’t know why people are still speculating and writing letters on an issue that I have made public a long time ago that I’m not part of the APC as far as Rivers State is concerned.”

     

    On Tinubu’s presidential ambition, Abe opined that most Nigerians are looking for assurances as to what the future portends.

    “Nigerians are looking for assurances as to what the future portends as it concerns Asiwaju presidency, because whether we like it or not, a lot of families are going through difficult crisis at this time.

    “I don’t think the biggest concern in any family now is the church that Shettima attends. I think what people want to hear about everywhere now are issues of what is going to happen to security.

    “What is going to happen to the economy, how is this going to affect their life, and the lives of their children, those things are the critical issues.

     “I don’t think the issues of the Vice President being a Christian or a Muslim is the most important issue that Nigerians are facing at this time. After all, the current Vice President is a Christian. If that were to be the most important thing for most people then we shouldn’t be complaining right now.

    “I understand that there are a lot of people who may be feeling shortchanged or disturbed or even worried by the level of rhetorics that is going on around this issue.

    “I think that the responsibility of those who believe in the presidency of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu is to reassure them and explain to them how this presidency will tie into their own goals and aspirations for the future and I think that is what is critical to those who want to support Asiwaju in this country.”

    Abe and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi have been at loggerheads in the state, leading to the APC crisis there.

    Ahead of the 2019 general elections, Amaechi and Abe’s factions conducted parallel primaries that produced two sets of excos.  Amaechi’s faction produced Tonye Cole as its governorship candidate while Abe emerged as the candidate of his own faction.

     The National Secretariat of the party forwarded Cole’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission as its candidate for the state.

     

    However, a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt barred all candidates produced by the primaries of the APC in the state and also restrained INEC from recognising any candidate of the party for the 2019 elections.  

     In the suit filed by Abe, the court directed INEC to remove all APC candidates from ballot papers and other electoral materials. It also declared the direct and indirect primaries held by the factions as illegal, null and void.

     

    But in February 2019, Amaechi’s faction challenged the decision of the High court at the Court of Appeal and won. It secured a judgment that cleared the way for all APC candidates to contest the election.

    On February 8, 2019, the Supreme Court nullified the ruling of the Court of Appeal which allowed APC to field candidates in Rivers State in the general elections.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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