By Ezeocha Nzeh
The rejection of same faith ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has remained unabated, as Christian youth members of the party has declared that the ruling party is embarking on a suicide mission in the 2023 general election following its rejection of the national outcry that trailed the Muslim-Muslim ticket
The APC Christian youths, under the aegis of Concerned Christian Youths in APC warned that the party insistence on same faith ticket can sink the party, except stringent measures are taken to rescue it
The youths noted that the decision by the presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to choose a fellow Muslim, Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate had portrayed the party in the most unpleasant light before the generality of Nigerians as a party devoid of religious and ethnic tolerance concerning the plurality of the country.
Speaking at a press briefing, Tuesday in Abuja, leader of the APC-LCCY, Patrick Maiyaki, emphasized the need for the leadership of the party to save it from a looming 2023 election embarrassment, and substitute Shettima with a Christian, saying it would guarantee victory for the party in next year poll.
According to them, the party’s insistence on Muslim-Muslim ticket has caused untold disaffection in its ranks and file.
Maiyaki insisted that the APC is currently going in for a suicide mission with its policy on Muslim-Muslim ticket, adding that, “It is our considered opinion that the leadership of the party must come to terms with the reality that is fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the presidential elections would be a suicide mission that must be aborted as soon as practicable if the APC is desirous of electoral success at the presidential election.
“The implication of the APC losing the presidential election cannot be overemphasized, hence the need for the party’s leadership to act with utmost honesty and sincerity of heart and purpose to realize that the Muslim-Muslim Ticket would work against the party in the presidential elections.
“As a group, we believe all hope is not lost as the chances of the APC would be bolstered should the leadership of the party effect a change in the composition of the party’s presidential Ticket.
“The fact that Nigerians have randomly rejected the Muslim-Muslim Ticket before the election indicates that the outcome of the presidential elections would not be any different, hence the need for urgent actions toward rejigging the party’s presidential Ticket for the polls.
“We wish to state that the APC is blessed with an array of Christian candidates that can complement the presidential Ticket with the utmost respect to the vice presidential candidate of the party, Senator Kashim Shettima.
“We are, therefore, using this medium to appeal to the leadership of the party to take advantage of the opportunity to make a replacement for the vice presidential candidate of the party before the expiration of the deadline issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
