Jonathan Vatsa, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, has slammed the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, for saying that a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket will not be a problem in the 2023 election.
Vatsa warned, “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 over who will be Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s running mate in the APC Presidential election in 2023 has gained traction.
In a statement issued in Minna on Saturday titled “the Christians are awake and alive in Nigeria ahead of the 2023 general elections,” the former Publicity Secretary of the APC in Niger State advised Bola Tinubu to disregard Governor El-comment Rufai’s “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”.
While criticizing the Kaduna state governor, the former Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism stated that “those scheming for Vice President positions like El-Rufai are the ones advocating for a Muslim-Muslim ticket because of their unrealizable ambition even when they fully understand 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, now prioritize religion in everything they do. “I recall Governor El-Rufai declaring every Friday a state holiday 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.
