A high ranking member of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) , Reverend Bitrus Dangiwa has said the Senate President, Bukola should be commended for stopping Asiwaju Bola Tinubu from becoming Vice President
He also said Nigeria is not matured and riped for Muslim/Muslim or Christian/Christian ticket for the presidential race.
Last week, Tinubu was reported to have stated that his moves to become President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate were prevented by Saraki and el-Rufai.
Tinubu had in a book, ‘Against the Run of Play’, authored by the Chairman of ThisDay Editorial Board, Olusegun Adeniyi, accused the Senate President and other individuals of prevailing on Buhari not to pick him as the running mate for the 2015 election.
Reverend Dangiwa also a former Youth President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Northern States, said that it was Saraki and some Nigerians that prevailed on President Muhammadu Buhari not to pick him Tinubu as the Vice President, and commended the bold step of the Senate president in that regard.
He commended Senator Saraki for ensuring that the Muslim/Muslim ticket as advocated by Tinubu did not work out during the 2015 presidential election, adding that good percentage of Christian population would have been underestimated.
He added that the Senate President thought it wise as a way of promoting peaceful coexistence, hence he truncated the move, because Muslim /Muslim ticket would have brought crisis.
According to him, Tinubu’s thought of becoming Vice President to an already Islamic faith President was not only self centred, but selfish, and it would have worked against the APC.
“We know of this Tinubu’s move for a very long time, most northerners contributed to Saraki’s choice of working against a Muslim/Muslim ticket in 2015.
“So Saraki’s decision not to have a Muslim/Muslim ticket was in the best interests of the socio-political development of the nation.
“It therefore shows that there are still good Muslims and Christians who mean well for this country, and Saraki is one of such good examples”.
Asked why Nigerians, particularly, Christian community did not raise eyebrows during the transition to democratic government in 1993 when the Social Democratic Party (SDP) fielded Muslim/Muslim ticket in the persons of Moshood Abiola and Babagana Kingibe for the presidency, Reverend Dangiwa said most Christians were not active in politics neither did they show great interest in politics then, adding that Nigerians where eager to have a democratically elected government and do away with the military regime.
He however, noted that in the present circumstance, it is no longer possible to field two candidates of the same religious calling.
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