stance on Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s vice presidential
ambition in 2015
- The elders said they supported Senate President,
Bukola Saraki, and governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-
Rufai’s staunch opposition to the plan
- They opined that a Muslim-Muslim ticket would have
worked against the All Progressives Congress (APC)
Some northern elders have opened up on their
stance on Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s vice
presidential ambition in 2015.
The elders said they supported Senate President,
Bukola Saraki, and governor of Kaduna state,
Nasir El-Rufai’s staunch opposition to the plan.
They opined that a Muslim-Muslim ticket would
have worked against the APC, adding that Tinubu
is a selfish politician.
Tinubu had said his moves to become President
Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate in 2015 was
prevented by Saraki and el-Rufai.
Tinubu (left) was instrumental to the emergence of Vice
President Osinbajo (middle) and President Buhari (right)
His comments were contained in a book titled,
‘Against the Run of Play’, written by veteran
journalist, Olusegun Adeniyi.
Tinubu accused the Senate President, the Kaduna
governor and other individuals of prevailing on
Buhari not to pick him as the running mate for
the 2015 election.
A chieftain of the Northern Elders Forum,
Reverend Bitrus Dangiwa, said he was one of
those who threw their weight behind those who
opposed Tinubu to become Buhari’s running
mate.
The cleric, who was the Youth President,
Christian Association of Nigeria in the 19
northern states and the Federal Capital Territory,
Abuja, told journalists in Kaduna on Saturday,
April 29 that a Muslim-Muslim ticket would have
worked against the APC.
Dangiwa described Tinubu as being “selfish” to
have thought that a Muslim-Muslim presidential
ticket would have worked for the party in 2015.
He praised Saraki for ensuring that the Muslim-
Muslim ticket did not work, arguing that a good
percentage of the country’s Christian population
would have been neglected.
His words: “Tinubu’s thought of becoming (Nigeria’s)
Vice President to a Muslim presidential candidate was not
only self-centred or selfish, but it would have worked
against the APC. We knew Tinubu’s move for a very long
time – most northerners contributed to Saraki’s choice of
working against a Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2015 poll.
“So, Saraki’s decision not to have a Muslim-Muslim ticket
was in the best interest of the socio-political development of
the nation. There are still good Muslims and good
Christians who mean well for this country, and Saraki is
one of such good examples.”
On his part, the National Leader of the Arewa
Youth Consultative Forum, Yerima Shettima, told
The Punch that the 2015 presidential election
would not have been won by the APC if the party
had gone into the poll with a Muslim-Muslim
ticket.
“There’s no way that Muslim-Muslim ticket could have
worked with the current way the country is set up and with
Tinubu who wanted to run with Buhari. The APC would
have lost the election.
“While the youths of this country want a situation whereby
religion, ethnicity and language do not determine who
govern the country, we are mindful of the fact that present
realities wouldn’t have given victory to the APC if it had
Muslims for its candidates (president and vice president).
“Everybody knows that Tinubu wasn’t an ideal person to be
Buhari’s running mate.Making him Buhari’s running mate
would have affected the party adversely. It is true that he
has helped many people. He has been useful to many causes
and people. But I am not sure anybody would have
supported him as Buhari’s running mate.
“As he said during the week that Senate President Bukola
Saraki and Governor Nasir El-Rufai blocked his chance of
becoming Buhari’s running mate – that wasn’t a bad move
because APC wouldn’t have won the election with a Muslim-
Muslim ticket involving a Tinubu,” Shettima said.
Similarly, a National Executive Council member
of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Mohammed
Abdulrahman, criticised Tinubu’s vice
presidential aspiration, noting that a Muslim-
Muslim ticket would have killed Buhari’s 2015
presidential bid.
His words: “There is no viability for any two people that
are Muslims to steer the ship of peace and unity in Nigeria
at the moment. Tinubu is a Christian most of the time. It is
only when it is convenient for him that he is a Muslim. It is
when it is convenient that he becomes Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“He is what we call ‘Christ-Mus.’ He is a ceremonial
religious person. But they (APC) would never have made it
(with him and Buhari for the 2015 presidential poll). That
will not push Nigeria forward.”
Senate President, Bukola Saraki was one of those reportedly
against Tinubu's ambition
Another northern elder, the National President of
Arewa Youth Forum, Gambo Ibrahim Gujungu,
commended Saraki for promoting peaceful
coexistence among Nigerians and for truncating
the Muslim-Muslim ticket proposed by Tinubu
during the 2015 presidential poll.
He argued that a Muslim-Muslim arrangement
would not have given the APC the winning ticket
in the last presidential election and would not
have yielded any positive result in future
elections.
“The Muslim-Muslim ticket will only cause crisis in the
country. Nigeria is not ripe for a Muslim-Muslim ticket for
the nation’s presidency because Nigerians now play politics
of religion and ethnicity,” Gujungu stated.
A former spokesman for the ACF, Anthony Sani,
said he did not support a Muslim-Muslim ticket
because of the present “atmosphere of mistrust and
suspicion which tends to promote cleavages of the nation
along ethnic and religious lines.”
He added: “I would not have supported not only a
Muslim-Muslim ticket but also a Christian-Christian ticket
until such a time mutual trust and social contract among
groups would have been restored in the polity.”
Governor El-Rufai also opposed Tinubu's emergence as
President Buhari's running mate in 2015
Meanwhile, NAIJ.com recently gathered that
Tinubu is set to launch his memoirs on the 2015
election. He disclosed this on Friday, April 28 in
Lagos through his media aide, Tunde Rahman.
Tinubu stated that he was working on a book
that would detail how his party removed former
President Goodluck Jonathan from office.
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