A group of supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the auspices of League of Concerned Christian Youth in the APC, has said that the party was on a suicide mission for sticking to the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket for the 2023 elections.
The youths said that the decision by the presidential candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to choose Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate has portrayed the APC in most unpleasant light before the generality of Nigerians as a party unmindful of the religious and ethnic plurality of the country.
The Convener of the group, Mr. Patrick Maiyaki, said on Tuesday in Abuja that the President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the APC should substitute Shettima with a Christian, to guarantee victory and prevent the party from losing in 2023 to opposition parties.
“It is our considered opinion that the leadership of the party must come to terms with the reality that is fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the presidential elections would be a suicide mission that must be aborted as soon as practicable if the APC is desirous of electoral success at the presidential election.
“The implication of the APC losing the presidential election cannot be overemphasized, hence the need for the party’s leadership to act with utmost honesty and sincerity of heart and purpose to realize that the Muslim-Muslim Ticket would work against the party in the presidential elections.
“As a group, we believe all hope is not lost as the chances of the APC would be bolstered should the leadership of the party effect a change in the composition of the party’s presidential Ticket,” Maiyaki said.
According to him, the fact that Nigerians have randomly rejected the Muslim-Muslim ticket before the election indicates that the outcome of the presidential elections would not be any different, hence the need for urgent actions toward allignig the party’s presidential ticket to return Nigerians confidence in the party.
He said, “We wish to state that the APC is blessed with an array of Christian candidates that can complement the presidential Ticket with the utmost respect to the vice presidential candidate of the party, Senator Kashim Shettima.
“We are therefore using this medium to appeal to the leadership of the party to take advantage of the opportunity to make a replacement for the vice presidential candidate of the party before the expiration of the deadline issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“It behoves the party’s leadership to act before the 20th of September when the Independent National Electoral Commission is expected to publish the final list of presidential candidates for the 2023 presidential elections.
“As concerned stakeholders of the party, our support for the party remains unflinching. This much we have exhibited on numerous forums, conferences and other public engagements across the country. Our emphasis remains on how to win the elections for the party.”
He also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently save the party from electoral misfortunes at the general elections
Maiyaki said, “We believe in the chances of the party at the elections, hence this request for urgent intervention to save the party from impending doom at the presidential election.”