2015: We backed Saraki to stop Tinubu from emerging VP – Northern elders

The Northern Elders Forum has said it was fully in support of the position of the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki; and the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, that a National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, should not emerge the running candidate of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
The position of the NEF was stated on Saturday by a key member of the Forum, Rev. Bitrus Dangiwa, who spoke with newsmen in Kaduna.
Tinubu had in a book released officially to the public on Friday: “Against the Run of Play,” accused Saraki and El-Rufai of blocking his chances of becoming the vice presidential candidate of the APC for the election.
In the book, written by the Chairman of the Editorial Board of Thisday, Olusegun Adeniyi, Tinubu said the duo went behind him to convince Buhari not to make him his running mate after all arrangements had been concluded.
He said the main plank of the argument was that both himself and Buhari were Muslims.
But speaking with newsmen on Saturday, Dangiwa said the move by Saraki and El-Rufai had the backing of Northern elders.
He said a Muslim-Muslim ticket would have worked against the APC.
Dangiwa described Tinubu as “selfish” to have thought a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket would have worked for the party in 2015.
He said: “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.”