Hundreds of demonstrators on Wednesday morning stormed the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to register their grievance over the position of the party on the contentious Muslim-Muslim ticket.
The protest took place almost simultaneously with the unveiling of the leadership of the APC, who announced that former Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima, would be the running mate of its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua in Abuja.
The demonstration, led by a few party members under the auspices of the APC Hausa-Fulani Youth Forum, saw the delegation arrive at the Secretariat in six luxury buses and several cars, bearing different banners and chanting solidarity songs.
Some of the banners read ‘A cry for justice’, ‘Drop Shettima and give the slot to our Christian brothers, and ‘Discrimination and mutual suspicion in our country’, among others.
Speaking to our correspondent, Abdullahi Bilal Mohamadu, the Convener of the forum, declared that they will not stop protesting until the party does the right thing.
On why the demonstrators took to protest on a day the party is presenting his vice presidential candidate, Mohammadu stated that it was a deliberate act to tender their grievances and ensure it reaches the appropriate authorities.
In a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Muhammad stated that they viewed the selection of Senator Kashim Shettima as an aberration that should be corrected immediately by the party’s leadership.
The letter read, “We write to your good office in light of the prevailing circumstances arising from the decision of our Presidential candidate to select a Northern Muslim as his vice presidential candidate.
“While it must be stated that there is a right to make decisions, however, such decisions must not be made to the collective detriment of the sensibilities of the people that make up the country of Nigeria, especially at a time of mutual suspicion amongst the Christians and Muslims in the northern part of the country.
“As concerned stakeholders of the APC and those who constitute the voting strength of our party, we find it worrisome that such a decision could be taken without recourse to its implication on the electoral chances of the party and the attendant uproar such a decision could bring about in the country.
“In our opinion, this is insensitive and a gross display of a lack of respect for our Christian brothers and sisters, especially the Middle Belt minority, who have given all their best to us as one northern Nigeria. Picking another Muslim from the north eastern part of the country as his running mate is politically and morally indefensible.
“In Northern Nigeria, there are credible candidates with rich credentials and with massive grassroots following that can complement the presidential ticket of the APC in the presidential elections. As such, the Hausa – Fulani Youths Forum sees the selection of Senator Kashim Shettima as an aberration that should be corrected with immediate effect by the relevant authorities within the party.
“The implication of non-action in this regard can only be imagined, so much so that the majority of the eligible voters in Northern Nigeria have elected to boycott the APC in protest of the disrespect and disregard to our Northern Christian brothers, whose population and relevance in the scheme of things in the region cannot be overemphasised.
“If our party is desirous of recording electoral success in the 2023 presidential elections, it must retrace its steps by selecting a Christian from the Middle Belt as its vice presidential candidate. The party must not be perceived as promoting a religious agenda by fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“We consequently say no to a Muslim-Muslim ticket by the APC. We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene to prevent the party from an electoral crisis. We urge Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to emulate the example of President Muhammadu Buhari in the choice of his running mate in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.
“Our Christian brothers and sisters deserve a place in the scheme of things, and our party must not be seen as a religiously insensitive party. The time to act is now.”
