Can Lalong Douse Tension over APC’s Muslim-Muslim Ticket?

BRIEFINGNOTES

Following the backlash that greeted the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling party has appointed Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State as the Director General of its Presidential Campaign Council in a strategic move to pacify Northern Christians. Ejiofor Alike writes that Lalong, who is believed to enjoy the support of forces that are against the indigenous people in his state, will battle the challenge of acceptability among Northern Christians

As part of its fence-mending efforts to reconcile with Christians across the country, the All Progressives Congress (APC) last Thursday, confirmed the Governor of Plateau State and Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, Mr. Simon Lalong, as the Director General of its Presidential Campaign Council. The ruling party had provoked the ire of Christians in the country when its presidential candidate for the 2023 presidential election, Senator Bola Tinubu, appointed a fellow Muslim and former Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate.

Tinubu was accused of ignoring the religious factor and the current mood of the country to choose Shettima as his running mate in a Muslim-Muslim ticket last proposed by the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, who ran with a fellow Muslim, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe.

Though the APC presidential candidate had stated that “the spirit of 1993 is upon us again in 2023,” many Christians argued that the Nigeria of 1993 is different from the Nigeria of 2023.

Many Christians insisted that it was not proper for the APC presidential candidate to compare the politics of 1993 when religion was not a factor in Nigeria, to the current situation in the country.

According to them, the country is currently divided along ethnic and religious lines, with Christians being killed by Muslim terrorists and indigenous people being sacked and displaced from their ancestral lands by the rampaging Muslim herdsmen across the country.

Northern Christians are particularly angry as they claim that Tinubu rubbed it on their faces that none of them is competent to be Nigeria’s President or Vice President, because they would not be accepted by the northern Muslims who are the majority in the region.

Before Tinubu settled for Shettima, there were speculations that northern Christians such as Lalong and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara were being considered by the former Lagos State governor.

Apart from being Tinubu’s fellow Muslim, Shettima’s past record as governor of Borno State, particularly his alleged controversial role in the April 14, 2014 abduction of over 276 Christian Chibok school girls in his state did not endear him to Christians in the North.

Since his emergence, many northern Christian members of the APC, including Tinubu’s erstwhile strong ally and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babachir Lawal, have been leading a campaign against the APC.

But in a strategic move to douse the tension and woo northern Christian voters, the ruling APC last Thursday confirmed Lalong, as the Director General of its Presidential Campaign Council.

The APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, disclosed this to State House Correspondents shortly after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

Adamu reportedly said: “We are here to see Mr. President to brief him and to get his approval of plans that we are having regarding our campaign outfit.

“And once we have his approval, we intend to make major disclosure. We’re on the same page with the presidential and the individuals who will play various roles in the campaign.

“The DG (Director General) of the campaign is seated by my right here – Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State.

“We have a spokesperson in the person of Festus Keyamo. The deputy spokesperson is Hannatu Musawa. This is what we came to discuss with the president.”

Adamu explained that the choice of Lalong was based on his ability to do the work required to ensure victory for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket in next year’s presidential elections.

Indeed, APC needs a strong and widely influential northern Christian to shore up its dwindling popularity among the northern Christian voters. But does Lalong fit into this shoe?

Lalong, who hails from Ajikamai in Shendam Local Government Area, a predominantly Christian-dominated area in the state, has held several influential positions in the course of his political career. Many believe that these positions are sufficient for him to have gained enough popularity and acceptability among Muslims and Christians alike.

His political career started in 1999, when he won the Shendam constituency seat in the state House of Assembly on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He emerged the Speaker of the state House of Assembly in October 2000.

Lalong was elected twice as Chairman of Nigerian Conference of Speakers from 2001- 2002; and National Chairman of forum of All former Speakers of Nigeria. He was also Chairman of former State Legislators of Plateau State Chapter. The Plateau State governor is the current Chairman of the influential Northern Governors’ Forum.

His journey to the Rayfield Government House in Jos began in 2015 when the people of Plateau State protested against the PDP-led administration of former Governor Jonah David Jang for flouting the power rotation arrangement in the state. Lalong, the then governorship candidate of the APC, was the greatest beneficiary of the protest.

Even some members of the PDP mobilised against Jang because he wanted his kinsman, the late Senator Gyang Nyam Shom Pwajok to take over from him.

Though Lalong won the governorship election, President Muhammadu Buhari lost the presidential election in the state.

However, on assumption of office, Lalong allegedly became too close to forces that are believed to be against the interest of the indigenous people in his state, who are predominantly Christians.

For instance, unlike his Benue State governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom, who was vociferous in his condemnation of the foreign herdsmen who were on rampage in his state, Lalong was accused of not putting the blames on the appropriate quarters when Plateau farmers were killed and villagers sacked by Fulani herders. Many had accused him of deliberate inaction to win the love of the enemies of his people for his reelection. It was due to his poor handling of the killing of the indigenous people that forced the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to pelt his convoy with stones on one occasion.

It was this embarrassing incident that jolted him to threaten the foreign invaders and land grabbers for the first time when over 200 persons were killed in Barkin Ladi LGA area in the state.

When herdsmen intensified attacks on Benue farmers despite the Anti-Open Grazing Law enacted by Ortom to curb the crisis, Lalong had publicly blamed his Benue State counterpart for enacting the law, which he claimed was responsible of the escalation of the killings. But in the absence of Anti-Open Grazing Law, Plateau State under his administration, remained a killing field.

The Plateau State governor was also alleged to be among the first set of governors to accept the proposed creation of cattle colony, which was rejected in the South and Middle Belt.

His election as Chairman of Northern Governors’ Forum was said to be a payback by forces that are believed to be favoured by his style of handling the security situation in his state.

Many are concerned that Lalong’s obvious failure to protect the indigenous people of the state from gruesome killings and displacement from their ancestral homes by herders, may make his acceptability by northern Christians difficult in his new assignment.