CAN said such permutation will not be accepted and can lead to the country’s collapse.
The Christian Association of Nigeria has warned against two Muslims running on a joint presidential ticket in 2023.
CAN said such permutation will not be accepted and can lead to the country’s collapse.
But the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Abubakar III, noted the importance of competence, saying that is it what Muslims are praying for.
Director-General of the Tinubu Support Group, Abdulmumin Jibrin, had said on Monday that it did not matter if Tinubu picked a Muslim as his running mate.
He added that Nigerians would rather choose competence over ethnic and religious considerations.
Jibrin argued that currently in the House of Representatives, the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila; and the Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase, were both Muslims while in the 6th and 7th Senate, Senator David Mark and Ike Ekweremadu who were both Christians, were Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively.
Oladeji stated, “Politicians can talk politics but we have stated our view. Any party that tries Muslim/Muslim ticket or Christian/Christian ticket will fail. This is not 1993. Even when we have joint Muslim/Christians, the church still goes through hell. Only God knows the number of Christians that have been killed.
“Imagine how bad it will be if we have two Muslims in power? The constitution promotes religious balance. So, if they want to try Muslim/Muslim ticket, let them try it. But we will not respond to faceless people. Let any political party or the government try it then they will know that Christians are not second hand citizens of Nigeria.
“This country belongs to all of us. If they try it, they will see it. Those who are planning Muslim/Muslim ticket should also find out what was the outcome of MKO Abiola and Kingibe ticket. If they try Muslim/Muslim ticket this time around, the outcome will be worse.”
But the NSCIA maintained that Muslims believe that all power belongs to God and only those, who God supports can emerge as winners of any election.
The NSCIA stated simply that it did not see anything wrong in a joint Muslim Presidential ticket.
Its Director of Administration, Zubairu Ugwu, explained that while the council would continue to advocate for peace in the country, Muslims would pray to God that only Nigerians who possessed the requisite capacity would eventually triumph at both their respective party primaries and subsequent general elections.
He said, “Consequently, both the NSCIA and the Muslim Ummah of Nigeria who, in thought and practice, draw instructions from the Holy Qur’an, have absolute trust that Almighty Allah has limitless capacity, to bring to power or deny power, in line with the above Qur’anic injunction, to whomsoever He wills.
“As Muslims, therefore, we have no choice but to continue to supplicate to Allah to grant that only Nigerians who possess the requisite capacity, integrity, sagacity, empathy, positive attitude, passion, administrative acumen, zeal for selfless service, etc., shall eventually triumph at both their respective party primaries and subsequent general elections, at all tiers of government in Nigeria.”
He said the NSCIA would continue to lend its voice to calls for all Nigerians including political, religious, traditional and civil society organisations, to eschew religious politics and politicisation of religion, subtly or manifestly, in Nigeria to avoid the dire consequences.