Tinubu to Begin Consultation with Christian APC Leaders, CAN, Others over Muslim-Muslim Ticket

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Following the backlash occasioned by the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), presidential candidate of the party, Bola Tinubu, has set up a team of eminent persons with whom he is scheduled to meet the Christian leaders within the party and faith-based organisations like the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and the Catholic, to appeal to them and secure their buy-in.

THISDAY gathered that the team would embarked on the parley from next week as part of efforts to explain the reason behind the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC and seek their understanding.
Tinubu recently announced a former Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima, as his running mate ahead of the 2023 elections, a move that did not go down well with Christian leaders within the party and the Christian community in general.

It was against this backdrop that Tinubu decided to lead a team to appeal to the Christian community.
A source in the Tinubu Campaign team, who pleaded anonymity, told THISDAY that the plan, which is going to be a holistic approach, was to make the Christian community see reasons behind the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“First of all, we are moving around to appeal to the Christians. There is a team that will be going round. Asiwaju personally will go, but some other people from his campaign team will be part of the team,” he said.
Asked if the campaign team has been put together, the source stressed that some of them have been working as members of the campaign team for the past three years.

According to him, “Kashim was part of that team, I was part of that team, (James) Faleke was there. There are people who have been there.”
When asked if it wasn’t too late to lobby CAN after the ruling party, had already settled for a Muslim-Muslim ticket, the source stressed that it was not late because the presidential election was still some months away.

He noted that the wife of the presidential candidate, Senator Remi Tinubu, who is also a pastor, has started reaching out to the Christian community too, adding: “There is nothing late in politics, the election is in February. Even Asiwaju’s wife is reaching out. She’s a pastor.
“From next week, we will meet CAN,  identified stakeholders from the North,  Middle-belt. There is a lot of reach out we want to do across the country, because now, the idea is that we need everybody, we must talk to them and appeal to them and let them see reasons behind some decision.

“Some of our team members are unhappy. The likes of Babachir (Lawal) and co. So, we are reaching out to them, that this is what we started, they must see to the end of it. We understand why they are angry, they should try and understand. And people outside the team, the larger stakeholders, for all to  see reasons why we are doing what we are doing. It is going to be a holistic approach.”

The source further revealed that the Director General of the campaign organisation would be named after the unveiling of Shettima.
He said left to Tinubu, he preferred the former National Chairman of APC, Adams Oshiomhole, but noted that the governors were not comfortable with him.
His words: “We don’t want to come up with somebody that is controversial again. We want a DG that will be accepted by everybody. Like the issue of Kashim Shettima, some governors were angry, but they all agreed that Kashim should have it when it was finally narrowed down to him.

“So, the issue of DG now, there will be a consensus. Asiwaju picked  Oshiomhole, but they kicked against it. Oshiomhole had the experience. He (Asiwaju) and Oshiomhole moved together during the 2019 elections. Both of them knew how they won the election. It was on that basis, Asiwaju wanted him.
“They are still discussing the issue, maybe the governors might see reasons to accept him, I don’t know yet. After the presentation of Shettima on Wednesday, the next thing will be the Director General,” he said.