By Biodun Busari
Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s aide, Reno Omokri has said what Nigeria needs is a reliable government and not a religious government.
Reno said this on Twitter reacting to trending political debate whether the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu will pick a Northern Muslim as his running mate.
Both Tinubu and his Peoples Democratic Party’s counterpart, Atiku Abubakar have intensified their search to get running mates as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has given deadline of sending names on or before Friday June 17, 2022.
Both candidates have been on consultations to get their running mates as they look at North and South respectfully before the deadline given by the INEC.
Some eminent Nigerians and religious groups have cautioned on Muslim-Muslim ticket for the Presidency while some on the hand have said there is nothing wrong with it if the country will get better.
Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal has kicked against Muslim-Muslim ticket idea saying, “I have lived among the Christians and I know that among the Christians, the question of a Muslim-Muslim ticket is a no-go area.
“It is dead on arrival.Buhari himself, even at that time, had to drop this present presidential candidate (Tinubu) because of the tension of a Muslim-Muslim ticket.And we have not seen anything in the country that has changed significantly to allow that to happen.
“On the contrary, it has worsened.The religious divide has increased.Tribal divisions have increased.Regional divisions have increased.So, it would be a good thing if APC would settle for a Muslim-Christian ticket because we know (that the) PDP, that is what they would do.”
In his own reaction to the idea, Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State has no problem with it.
He said, ““It was Pastor Tunde Bakare, a pentecostal pastor, who took me to CPC, not President Muhammadu Buhari.
I’m very close to Pastor Bakare.I’m very close to many Christians.I don’t think the business of governance has to do with religion.I think we should look for the best person for the job.The person who will get the job done.
“I’m the wrong person to ask that question because in my state I picked a very competent and qualified woman as my running mate in the 2019 elections.But just because she happens to be a Muslim, people were calling it Muslim-Muslim ticket and they said we are going to lose.We didn’t.We won overwhelmingly.”
Reacting on Twitter on Saturday, Omokri said the former Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon and his vice Vice-Admiral Joseph Edet Wey are Christians and were loved by the core North.
Omokri tweeted, “Unknown to many Nigerians both Gowon and his vice (Admiral Wey) are Christians.
Yet, they were loved in the core Muslim North, because they provided peace, security and progress.They proved that if Nigerians see a performing government, they will forget religion!
“Having a Muslim-Christian ticket does not balance Nigeria.The government we have now is Muslim-Christian.Look at how imbalanced Nigeria is.
Did Osinbajo represent or protect Christians well? What Nigeria needs is a reliable government, not a religious government!”
Vanguard News Nigeria
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