Hundreds of demonstrators on Wednesday morning stormed the
national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress to register their
grievance over the position of the party on the contentious Muslim-Muslim
ticket.
The protest took place almost at the same time the
leadership of the APC was unveiling former Governor of Borno State, Senator
Kashim Shettima, as the running mate of its Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu, at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua in Abuja.
The demonstration, which was led by a few party members
under the aegis of APC Hausa-Fulani Youth Forum, saw the delegation arrive the
Secretariat in six luxury buses and few cars, raising different banners and
chanting solidarity songs.
Some of the banners read ‘A cry for justice’, ‘Drop Shettima and give slot to our Christian brothers’, ‘Discrimination and mutual suspicion in our country’ among others.
Speaking to our correspondent, Convener of Forum, Abdullahi
Bilal Mohamadu declared that they will not stop protesting until the party do
the right.
On why the demonstrators took to protest on a day the party
is presenting his vice presidential candidate, Mohammadu stated that it was a
deliberate act to tender their grievances and ensure it reaches the appropriate
authorities.
In a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the APC,
Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and made available to NigerianEye, Mohammadu stated that they saw the selection of
Senator Kashim Shettima as an aberration that should be corrected immediately
by the leadership of the party.
The letter read, “We write to your good office in light of
the prevailing circumstances arising from the decision of our Presidential
candidate to select a Northern Muslim as his vice presidential candidate.
“While it must be stated that there is a right to make
decisions, however, such decisions must not be made to the collective detriment
of the sensibilities of the people that make up the country of Nigeria
especially at a time of mutual suspicion amongst the Christians and Muslims in
the northern part of the country.
“As concerned stakeholders of the APC and those who
constitute the voting strength of our party , we find it worrisome that such a
decision could be taken without recourse to its implication on the electoral
chances of the party and the attendant uproar such a decision could bring about
in the country.
“In our opinion, this is insensitive and a gross display of
a lack of respect for our Christian brothers and sisters especially the Middle
Belt minority who have given all their best to us as one northern Nigeria.
Picking another Muslim from the north eastern part of the country as his
running mate is politically and morally indefensible.
“In Northern Nigeria, there are credible candidates with
rich credentials and with massive grassroots following that can complement the
presidential ticket of the APC in the presidential elections. As such, the
Hausa – Fulani Youths Forum sees the selection of Senator Kashim Shettima as an
aberration that should be corrected with immediate effect by the relevant
authorities within the party.
“The implication of non-action in this regard can only be
imagined, so much so that the majority of the eligible voters in Northern
Nigeria have elected to boycott the APC in protest of the disrespect and
disregard to our Northern Christian brothers , whose population and relevance
in the scheme of things in the region cannot be overemphasized.
“If our party is desirous of recording electoral success in
the 2023 presidential elections, it must retrace its steps by selecting a
Christian from the Middle Belt as its vice presidential candidate. The party
must not be perceived as promoting a religious agenda by fielding a
Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“We consequently say no to a Muslim-Muslim ticket by the
APC. We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to kindly intervene to save the
party from an electoral crisis. We urge Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to emulate
the example of President Muhammadu Buhari in the choice of his running mate in
the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.
“Our Christian brothers and sisters deserve a place in the
scheme of things, and our party must not be seen as a religiously insensitive
party. The time to act is now.”
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