Tinubu BallAll Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate says selection of his running mate has nothing to do with religious faith.
He said the selection of Kashim Shettima, a Muslim, as his running mate had to do with competence, experience, ability and vision.
Tinubu made this known in a statement by his spokesman, Tunde Rahman, on Saturday in Lagos.
The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) is reporting that the APC presidential candidate was reacting to the comment by Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar in a television interview on Friday.
Atiku had said that a Muslim-Muslim ticket made him turn down Tinubu when he wanted to be his running mate in 2007.
According to Mr. Tinubu, “Atiku can attest that the person I selected as my running mate is more qualified for the position than the man who joined him.”
“In his desperate attempt to win the election by fueling religious prejudice, Atiku has reduced himself to spouting baseless lies.
“My running mate and I are here to build a more just and prosperous society for all Nigerians, whether they are Christians, Muslims or followers of other religions.
“Atiku will fail in this sad attempt to deceive an entire nation,” he said.
The former Lagos state governor reaffirmed his position on religion and politics, saying that when he decided that Mr. Shettima was the best choice as his running mate, he listened, weighed and weighed advice received from a wide and representative variety of wonderful Nigerians.
“Nigerians who care deeply about this nation and the way forward.
“Some people advised me that I should select a Christian to get the support of the Christian community.
“Some said he should select a Muslim for a similar reason, but he clearly couldn’t do both because both positions had merit and were on his side.
“None of the positions expressed what was most correct and necessary for the moment in which we and the nation find ourselves,” Tinubu explained.
The APC presidential candidate noted that throughout his life, decisions related to the team that supported him had always been guided by the principles of competence, innovation, compassion, integrity, fairness, and adherence to excellence.
He emphasized that he would not deviate from those principles during this important period.
Mr. Tinubu added that it was more important than ever that he adhere to these principles.
“As Governor of Lagos State, these principles helped me form one of the most capable government cabinets any state or this nation has ever seen.
“I am relying on these principles to allow me, once again, to guide me in building another exemplary team that can make Nigeria proud.
“In this crucial moment, where the stakes are high, we must prioritize leadership, competence and the ability to work as a team above other considerations.
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“This is the standard that I will use to select the rest of my campaign team and if they elect me as their president when I am on the staff of my administration,” he said.
The APC presidential candidate said that, if elected, he would select the best people for the right jobs so that they can build a better Nigeria now and for generations to come.
Atiku’s ‘fake account’
In response to the “fake account” of the PDP presidential candidate, Mr. Tinubu recalled that Mr. Atiku was not among those who founded the Action Congress (AC).
“It was the true founders of the AC who offered the party flag to Atiku out of a need to fight against the authoritarian designs that then President Olusegun Obasanjo and the PDP had on Nigerian democracy.
“At the time, Atiku, the then vice president, had been unceremoniously removed, if not from the PDP, by Obasanjo.
“We needed to muster all the forces to confront the one-party state that Obasanjo had in mind and Atiku was simply a beneficiary of this collective duty to fight against the attack on multi-party democracy that the DPP had launched,” Tinubu explained.
The former Lagos state governor said he felt sorry for Atiku, adding that love of his own ambition had overshadowed his relationship with truth and an honest account of the past. (YAYA)