The Northern Christian Politicians group in the All Progressives Congress (APC) has finally dumped the presidential candidate of the party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2023 Presidential election.
Former Secretary to the Government of Federation Babachir Lawal along with former Speaker of House of Representatives Yakubu Dogora led Northern Christians group in APC on Thursday put pay to their opposition to APC Muslim Muslim ticket and dumped Tinubu.
The group comprising Northern Christian politicians has in place of Tinubu, endorsed the Presidential candidate of Labour Party and his running mate, Peter Obi and Datti Ahmed.
Apart from endorsing Peter Obi and Datti Ahmed, the aggrieved group commended Labour Party candidates to Nigerians of good conscience, justice, equity, fairness and unity of the country.
In a strongly worded statement he released in Abuja, Babachir Lawal revealed that they settled for Peter Obi and Ahmed Datti after a painstaking review and analysis of the alternative presidential ticket.
The statement entitled “Why We Have Chosen to Endorse Obi/ Datti Ticket,” obtained by our Correspondent read in part,
“As one of the foremost critics of APC’s single-faith presidential ticket and also in difference to those who have patiently waited for our guidance as to where to pitch our tent, after a painstaking review and analysis of the alternative presidential tickets, we now wish to recommend the Obi/Datti presidential ticket.
“We wish to briefly narrate some few reasons among many, why we have endorsed this ticket and commend it to all Nigerians of good conscience who desire justice, equity and a harmonious co-existence of all Nigerians across tribes, religion and geopolitical regions.
“More over there is currently in circulation the fake news that I have thrown in my towel with the PDP. Nothing could be farther from the truth. To me the PDP and APC are different sides of the same coin.
“The APC same-faith is a deliberate, well-calculated plan to sow the seeds of religious and social discord among Nigerians. It is obvious that Northerners, in particular, are the intended targets and victims of this satanic plan.
“It is an indisputable fact that the whole of Northern Nigeria is currently mired in several intractable socio-economic problems due to the activities of several nebulous criminal groups.
“Agriculture, the mainstay of the northern economy, is all but abandoned because kidnappers and bandits have prevented people from venturing out of the safety of their homes.
” Interstate and intercity travel for either business or leisure have all but ceased not only due to un-motorable roads but more so for fear of kidnapping, armed robbery and other forms of banditry.
“Our rural schools have all but closed for fear of kidnappers. Government-owned universities have closed thus depriving the children of the already impoverished Northern masses access to affordable higher education.
“Thus, our out-of-school and idle children have become easy targets for recruitment by bandits and kidnappers. And there is no solution in sight.
“Then, out of nowhere, this man, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a renown Yoruba-hegemonist, a man who championed the establishment of a Ministry of Regional Integration in each state government of the South-west geopolitical region which he bestrides as an emperor, and a man who was once quoted as saying “I do not believe in one Nigeria” comes up with a Muslim-muslim ticket knowing fully well that religion is the underbelly of Northern Nigeria.
“APC’s same-faith ticket is a ploy to further sow discord among Northerners using the most potent weapon of social discord – religion. As Karl Max once said – “religion is the opium of the people”.