The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has stated Christians, significantly these in Northern Nigeria, are snug with the celebration’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket forward of the 2027 common election.
The APC is fielding President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, each Muslims, as its presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the 2027 election.
Speaking throughout an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday evening, Yilwatda stated that, not like in 2023, Christians had no points with the same-faith ticket, arguing that nobody had been molested or denied their rights on spiritual grounds in the course of the three years of the Tinubu administration.
He stated that, below the current administration, Christians from the North, together with himself, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), held key authorities positions.
The APC chairman additionally dismissed strategies that the Muslim-Muslim ticket would weaken the celebration’s electoral prospects forward of the 2027 presidential election, significantly within the North-Central area.
“Let me simply be clear with you right here. We’ve engaged a whole lot of Christian communities. I’m a Christian myself, and most Christians that we’ve engaged and spoken to are very snug with the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“No Christian, in the middle of the three years of President Tinubu’s administration, has been molested or denied their rights or privileges as a result of he’s a Muslim. Beyond the workplace of the Vice-President, are there different places of work which have been given to Christian communities within the North?
“The reply is sure. I’m the National Chairman of the celebration. I’m a Christian. The SGF is a Christian. And there are such a lot of ministers. I’ll offer you an instance: Kaduna has by no means had a Christian as a cupboard minister earlier than.
“Most occasions, the ministers given to Christians within the North are usually not even in principal ministries. Today, we now have them as cupboard ministers, together with the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Minister of Water Resources and Minister of Defence, in addition to a number of different appointments.
“So, when you talk about inclusion in governance, the thought and fear of most Christians is that the Muslim-Muslim ticket may suppress their voices. But their voices are heard loud and clear now,” he stated.
Yilwatda additionally dismissed allegations that the ruling APC was accountable for the disaster rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC), following the nullification of the management association involving former Senate President David Mark and the celebration’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, final week.
He accused opposition events of resorting to blackmail at any time when they confronted political setbacks.
“The opposition in Nigeria likes blackmail. They survive solely on blackmail, and solely when the blackmail favours them.
“I’ll offer you an instance. The similar APC, in 2019, as a result of we carried out an election exterior the timetable prescribed by INEC, misplaced. A member of the APC took the celebration to court docket, and we misplaced the case on the Supreme Court.
“We gained all of the elections. We gained the governorship, Senate, House of Representatives and most House of Assembly seats in Zamfara. But we misplaced all of them in court docket to the PDP.
“The similar Atiku, I recall his publish until date. Do you realize what he stated? Do you recall? It was the month of Ramadan when that judgment was delivered in May 2019.
“He stated it was nice information within the holy month of Ramadan as a result of the APC had misplaced out. During the identical interval, we misplaced as a result of we carried out our congresses exterior the timetable prescribed by INEC. Our members went to court docket, and we misplaced the case. The APC couldn’t even area a single candidate in Zamfara State in 2019.
“The APC didn’t complain. The APC didn’t blame anyone. We took accountability as a result of they have been our members. In some instances, we even suspended a few of the members from the celebration. So, we carried out a house-cleaning train inside ourselves.
“But why is it that ADC members took their very own celebration to court docket and are actually blaming the APC? Where does the APC are available?
“Rather, the ADC should carry out an internal review, put its house in order, and, where possible, appeal the judgment and pursue the case instead of blaming the APC for what happened,” he stated.
Yilwatda additional argued that, not like in earlier elections when Atiku was within the PDP and had the assist of serving governors, the previous vice-president not had the political construction to safe overwhelming votes within the North and different elements of the nation.
The APC chairman additionally defended the N10 million incentive introduced by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for political wards in Rivers State that ship victory for President Tinubu within the 2027 presidential election.
Yilwatda maintained that the proposed reward wouldn’t quantity to vote-buying if it was paid after the election, arguing that it was supposed to recognise political efficiency moderately than affect voters.
He stated the timing of the fee was a crucial consider figuring out whether or not the association constituted vote-buying.
According to him, a fee made after the election had been concluded, the winner declared and all authorized processes accomplished couldn’t be considered an inducement to voters.
“If the money is given after the election has been concluded, the winner has been declared and there is nothing at stake again, if the court has proven and all the legal processes have been followed, that you legally delivered your ward, by giving you N10 million, I don’t see it as vote-buying, never,” he stated.
He, nonetheless, acknowledged that providing the cash earlier than the election to affect voters would quantity to vote-buying.
“If he wants to engage in vote-buying, he would have said: ‘I’m going to give you N10 million, so use the money to buy votes on election day so they can vote for President Tinubu for me.’ That is vote-buying,” Yilwatda added.
On the management of the National Assembly after the 2027 common election, the APC chairman stated the Senate would decide who emerges as its president, including that the celebration wouldn’t determine whether or not the incumbent, Senator Godswill Akpabio, would retain the place.
Asked whether or not Akpabio would return as Senate President in 2027, Yilwatda stated the choice rested with the senators.
“You know that the Senate will determine it. Let’s wait for the election first. I don’t have anybody in mind. The Senate will determine who they want to make Senate President. We, as a party, will only just bring the Majority Leader,” he stated.
On the dispute between Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and former Governor Rochas Okorocha over the APC senatorial ticket, Yilwatda stated the celebration would permit the court docket to find out the matter whereas working behind the scenes to handle the dispute.
“We will allow the court to settle it, but behind the scenes, we are managing the case,” he stated.
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