A stalwart of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, Jonathan Vatsa, has lambasted the Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai over his recent comment that Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket will not be a problem for the 2023 election.
Vatsa warned that, “El-Rufai is playing with fire. He knows that such arrangement will not only spell doom for the party, but such experiment cannot work in the presidential election in 2023”.
It should be noted that the battle of who becomes the running mate to the APC Presidential flag bearer in the 2023 general election, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has gathered momentum.
The former Publicity Secretary of the APC in Niger State in a statement in Minna on Saturday, titled “the Christians are awake and alive in Nigeria ahead of 2023 general elections”, advised Bola Tinubu to disregard the comment by Governor El-Rufai “because no Christian in Nigeria can vote for Tinubu if he goes ahead with a Muslim-Muslim ticket”.
According to him, “Kaduna state is smaller than Nigeria, if El-Rufai succeeded in Kaduna with a Muslim-Muslim ticket because he made sure the Christian communities in Southern Kaduna did not come out to vote in 2019 general elections to show their anger, such experiment cannot work in the presidential election in 2023”.
The former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism while taking a swipe on the Kaduna state Governor said “that those scheming for Vice President position like El-Rufai are the ones advocating for a Muslim-Muslim ticket because of their unrealizable ambition even when they know fully that it is not absolutely possible.
“This country called Nigeria has grown beyond what people like El-Rufai think. Governor El-Rufai is the most unqualified candidate as running mate to Bola Tinubu.
“El-Rufai’s statement is capable of igniting religious crisis in the country, he failed woefully to govern Kaduna state, and turned the state into a killer field and now he wants to be Vice President.
“The entire Christian communities in Southern Kaduna came under attack few weeks to the 2019 general elections just because they don’t want the people to come out and vote and speak through the ballot box. It was an evil plot against the people and the whole world knew it.
“Our National Leader and Presidential flag bearer, Bola Tinubu is more intelligent than him, he is politically wiser than El-Rufai, he knows everybody’s antecedent and so, he cannot be deceived”.
Vatsa stated further that, “Tinubu knows that Muslim-Muslim ticket will spell doom for him and APC in 2023”.
He reminded El-Rufai that politicians in the country, including himself have made religion the first consideration in everything they do today. “I can recall how Governor El-Rufai declared every Friday as public holiday in the state because of his religious bigotry.
“I wonder why such a person should tell Nigerians not to lay emphasis on religion. Now that El-Rufai is looking for Vice President, he wants Nigerians to put religious consideration in our dealings behind, when every form you fill in Nigeria today, they will ask you of your religion”.
He maintained that the governor should not talk about the issue of competence “because we can find competent people in all the religions in Nigeria, including among idol worshipers that can be Vice President.
“There are very intelligent, more competent and highly respected Christians in the north that can be Vice President to Tinubu. Those who have turned their state to war zone should not dream of becoming Vice President of this country”, Vatsa declared.