Northern Elders Forum, NEF, has said APC presidential aspirant Tinubu and other politicians are playing politics with religion in their choice of Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Newsonline reports that Northern Elders Forum, have condemned that politicians always want to get their selfish interest by using religion to play politics because they know how ordinary Nigerians hold their faith so dearly.
Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Spokesman stated that want the politicians don’t know is that ordinary Nigerians are becoming wiser to their mischief.
Hakeem Baba-Ahmed said what every ordinary Nigerian want is good leadership that will put food on the table.
Ahmed said that since politicians have known how 90 percent of ordinary citizens hold their faith in high esteem the politicians are always playing their selfish politics with religion.
“I think there is a lot of deception here which has gathered momentum as politicians began to learn more and more about the weaknesses of ordinary Nigerians. 90 percent of us as ordinary Nigerians are devout Christians and Muslims. We care very deeply about personal faith. We care about the fortunes of our faith. We don’t like to be attacked or affected because we are Christians or Muslims.
“By and large, in most instances, our faith is faith. Politicians use faith and other forms of identity politics to wrestle for power. This is basically what it is and it is becoming clearer that every time politics come, religion surfaces as a factor and what it does is that it created this idea that Nigerians would fight because the vice-president is not a Christian or a Muslim.”
Newsonline had reported that All Progressive Congress Party, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, submitted the name of Masari to INEC as his running mate.
Source however revealed to Newsonline that Masari’s name was submitted to ensure APC fulfills statutory requirements and to beat INEC deadline.
Hakeem Baba-Ahmed said the division Tinubu and other politicians who are thinking of a Muslim-Muslim ticket, or using religion to bring division among ordinary Nigerians will not work, as Nigerians have learned from history.
While speaking on Channels Television, morning programme, Ahmed Baba said, “We won’t. We will not fight because if you go down in history, there is not a single thing a Christian had benefited from during the times when Christians were presidents or vice-presidents. There is nothing a Muslim had benefitted from the president or vice-president being a Muslim.
“When you hear them talk now, it is as if it is central to being a Muslim or a Christian. if your so-called man is not in the presidency. It is nonsense. It is the most deceptive thing politicians do. What is even more damaging is that they are making it worse now precisely the time when we need to have quality leadership, good people irrespective of their faith, who will govern this country and pull it out of this quagmire that we are in.”
Northern Elders Forum Spokesman Ahmed regretted that “Politicians are bringing in all these factors that specifically targeted at giving a few of them certain advantages. Now, you hear these people are saying it has to be a Muslim-Muslim ticket; ordinary Nigerians don’t care. Politicians are playing a game with the faith, intelligence and future of our people.
“I’m telling you, ordinary Nigerians do not consider the faith of leaders now as central to the way they exist. We have been taught some terrible lessons from recent leaders who may have benefitted from religious politics but have abandoned the people who they share the same faith with. I think people are wiser now.”
The source however confirmed that Tinubu and APC will be fielding Muslim-Muslim tickets.
