A frontline chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Engineer Oyedele Hakeem Alao, has appealed to Nigerians to look beyond religion in the presidential team of the party, saying the Muslim-Muslim ticket should not be seen as anti-Christian.
Also, while featuring on a radio programme in Ibadan, the state capital, he said that, as religion matters in the lives of human beings, including Nigerians, the time has come for the country to place greater emphasis on what would bring good governance and development to the government.
He maintained that with the country divided into North and South and the presidential candidate from the South, the choice of a vice presidential candidate made by the North should be accepted in the interest of the country, stating that what should be paramount is the competence of the choice made.
While emphasising that the South West region for a long time has continued to enjoy religious harmony among Muslims and Christians, with adherents of the two faiths intermarrying, the gubernatorial aspirant under the platform of the APC in the last governorship primary, said Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the president is competent to make Nigeria better and ensure that Nigerians live in unity, irrespective of religious or ethnic differences.
According to him, “I want to sincerely appeal to Nigerians to take the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of our great party, APC, in good faith and not as an attempt to be anti-Christian. I believe we should focus on the competence of the two men to make Nigeria the country of our dreams.
“Asiwaju Tinubu has done it before as governor of Lagos State, and if elected president, on whose table everything must stop, he would not do anything to jeopardise the interest of Christians but rather ensure religious harmony to make Nigeria a better place for all to live.”
On the crises in the party in Oyo State after the last primaries, he said the party has the mechanism to put its house in order, disclosing that a reconciliation committee set up by the national headquarters of the party would be in the state next week to reconcile all those that are aggrieved.
The Oman-based project and contract management specialist, who admitted that he was aggrieved with the governorship primary of the party, however, insisted that as a progressive, he would not leave the party, as it is the best platform for him to realise his political ambition.
“The last governorship primary has come and gone, and the national leadership of the party has already put in place a reconciliation committee, which will be in the state next week. But for me, no matter my grievances as a progressive, I would not leave the APC,” he said.
