•Warns the gods want to destroy ex-Lagos governor, ruling party
•Urges Buhari to invoke his powers to revoke vice-presidential nomination
•Says ex-Borno governor is overambitious, Machiavellian
•Shettima complicit in Chibok Girls’ abduction, terrorism, say northern Christian leaders
•Amaechi’s ally, Princewill, quits ruling party on same ground
Chuks Okocha, Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, yesterday, in a long read three-pager, told his friend and presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, that his decision to settle for a Muslim-Muslim ticket would have consequences, because he has taken sides against Christians.
Lawal, who located the grounds for his displeasure in a popular proverb – ‘Those whom the gods want to destroy they first make mad’ – to further underscore the implication of what Tinubu had done, lamented that there were clear indications that sycophants always have greater influence on leaders, adding that, Tinubu has been cornered by self-serving, hero-worshiping, lapdogs.
The Adamawa-born politician and administrator, said, he had thought he would be able to avoid commenting on the “disastrous error by my very good friend, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his choice of a running mate”, because “I will be the very last person to stand in the way of my very good friend Tinubu’s path to the presidency. This is because since 2011 my consuming passion has been for him to succeed Buhari as President of Nigeria.”
While calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to invoke his powers as the leader of the party to revoke Shettima’s nomination, adding that the former Borno State governor was overambitious with a Machiavellian bent to his politics.
In a related development, Northern Christian Political Leaders in the All Progressives Congress (APC), across the 19 northern states of the country, have accused Shettima, of complicity in the April 2014 kidnap of over 200 Chibok School girls.
This is as a former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Rivers State and ally of former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, Tonye Princewill, has resigned his membership of the APC, because he could not defend its presidential combination.
Building up to his disappointment, Lawal said, “It will not be true if I say that I did not see it coming. I have often read his body language, picked up snippets from several discussions with his lapdogs (some of whom, sadly are Christians, but most of whom are Muslims) and I have conveyed my reservations to them against the pitfalls of a Muslim-muslim ticket towards, which I sensed they were drifting.
“As part of my obligation to him, a close friend, I had on many occasions argued the merits and demerits of both ticket permutations to him. I have done so in both verbal and written form and I have likewise, done so with some of his close respectable associates and friends.
“In all instances, I had left him with the sole responsibility for his final decision arguing that in the end, the consequences of the outcome of any bad decision will be his to bear. There might be some collateral damages though. I have also on several occasions passed on to him counsels and messages from some well-meaning Nigerians intended to alert him on the possible outcomes of the presidential ticket permutations.”
Lawal, who established that, “Tinubu is a very good man. He is a great listener. He has a very humble and friendly disposition to every one. He is very generous in both cash and kind, especially where it could advance his political interests,” added that, “But I have realized that it is in the nature of power that sycophants and lapdogs have the most influence on leaders with such character traits.
“They will lie to him, malign and disparage others and generally do any thing to curry his favour and to also put well-meaning associates in bad light. I suspect this is what has happened to my friend. He has been cornered by self-serving, hero-worshiping, lapdogs.
“It never used to be like this. While in his hay-day in Lagos, he surrounded himself with smart, street-wise guys that could tell truth to power. He had Rauf Aregbesola, Yemi Osinbajo, Babatunde Fashola, Dele Alake, Muiz Banire, etc.
“The Lagos days were the days of think-tanks, strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, principles and ideologies. But these people have since grown-up and moved up to establish their own systems living my friend stranded. Nature they say abhors vacuum.”
Describing Kashim Shetima as an overambitious man with Machiavellian bent and has lots of money with which to procure a preferred-candidate status among Tinubu’s lapdogs, he added that, “And as we are beginning to see, to also procure bogus supporters especially, from among the Christian community to help launder his no-so-good image.
“True, based on the advice of his new friends, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made his choice. And I am sure he thinks he is ready for the outcome of that choice. He has chosen to bring religion to the front burner of Nigerian politics. And being a Muslim, he has chosen to take sides with his own religion. For all he cares, Christians can go to blazes with their votes.
“But he must also be told that there will consequences for this choice. Some of them are that, Christians all over the country will revolt against the APC to put the chances of his election in serious jeopardy. It will also put the election of all Christians standing for elections in Christian dominated areas in jeopardy. This could result in APC being a minority party in both the National and State Houses of Assembly.
“Now tell me, which Christian will vote for APC with the following contraption: Moslem Presidential Candidate (Lagos), Moslem Vice Presidential Candidate (Borno), Moslem National Chairman (Nasarawa), Moslem Deputy National Chairman (Borno), Moslem President (Katsina); Moslem Senate President (Yobe); Moslem Speaker (Lagos); Moslem Deputy Speaker (Plateau) e.t.c. APC the great! Wu na de try woh!”
He was of the opinion that, “The northern governors and some northern muslim elites must have persuaded him that they will never vote for a ticket that has a northern Christian on it. And he has agreed with them. But if he thinks a Moslem-Moslem ticket will win him the northern Muslim votes, he should have a rethink. They will massively vote for one of their sons, because it is in their nature to do so. Buhari, their first son will not be on the ballot in 2023. Atiku their second son will be.
“Bola Ahmed Tinubu, should be compelled upon by whoever can do so to rescind this decision. President Muhammadu Buhari should exercise his powers as the Commander-in-Chief and as the APC Leader to revoke this nomination of a VP by Tinubu.”
Shettima Complicit in Chibok Girls’ Abduction, Terrorism, Say Northern Christian Leaders
Meanwhile, the northern christian political leaders, in a communique issued at the end of its meeting Monday night, and jointly signed by Chairman and Secretary, Prof. Doknan Sheni and Ishaya Bauka, claimed the Muslim-Muslim pairing could earn the party the tag of an Islamic party, even as they suspected that Shettima might be involved in some terrorism activities.
While noting that the ticket was a hard sell for them and that there might be consequences if the Muslim-Muslim pairing was not changed, the leaders said, the party’s decision was insensitive and would be difficult for them to sell the idea to their constituencies.
Arguing that the situation of the country now could not be compared to what it was in 1993,when Nigerians unanimously settled for a Muslim-Muslim ticket without prodding, the group stressed that the country’s unity was of utmost importance and not any other thing.
It, therefore, warned that there would be dire consequences for the Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2023 presidential poll, adding that if it was not possible in 2015, now was not the best of time to introduce it.
“The selection of a Muslim vice presidential candidate portrayed insensitivity to the Christians in the nation. The fear of the Christians in the north and the nation in general is that the APC party will be viewed as an Islamic party. The Christians in the north and the whole nation are highly aggravated.
“More so, we are apprehensive that the person picked might have had a hand in the Chibok girls Saga and other terror activities. Moslem-Moslem ticket would undermine the election chances of Christians candidates in APC in the various states in the North.
“Considering that the chairman of the party is a Moslem, deputy chairman north is a Moslem, the president of the senate is a Moslem, the speaker and deputy speaker are Moslems, and now both the presidential and Vice presidential candidates are Moslems and apart from this violating the constitution section 14 subsection 3, if this was to be reversed that all these were Christians, can any Moslem in the North be able to sell the APC presidential tickets to any Moslem ummah?
“If this selection of a Moslem Vice President candidate is not changed, there will be serious and grave consequences.”
While arguing that, what should be paramount in the country now was unity and not infrastructure or the economy, the leaders added that, “For without unity, we cannot build. Any party or candidate that elevates the greed of a few above the needs of the many, has no business running the affairs of Nigeria.”
Princewill Quits APC over Muslim-Muslim Ticket
Meanwhile, Princewill, in a letter, affirmed that, his resignation was in protest against the choice of Shettima as running mate to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.
In the resignation letter addressed to the Chairman of Ward 3 (Royal Ward), Buguma City, in Asari Toru Local Government Area area, he said he could not continue to “argue for equity in my state and defend inequity in my country.
“While I appreciate my leader, Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi, and all his efforts, I cannot defend the decision of my party, in fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket, especially, at a time like this, against all protestations from well-meaning Nigerians, across religious and political divides.
“It sets a very wrong precedent; it is totally insensitive and even if you win, will prove bad for good governance. Under these dire circumstances, I find no justification to still remain, in good conscience, a member of a political party that subordinates electoral victory, over the safety of lives and the peace of mind of its citizens.
“The men and women of our party here in Rivers are the most loyal and faithful supporters I have met. They know right and they know wrong. And they know me. I enjoyed working with them and I’m so sad to leave.
“But an APC party that totally disregards the basics of the same equity we preach, is alien to me. Buhari resisted the same temptation and chose a little known Osinbajo and won. I wish you well. And I remain grateful to our leader, but I cannot defend the indefensible. And to be totally honest, neither should you.”
THISDAY
