Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam
Nasir El-Rufai has come out and said that there is nothing wrong in
having a Muslim/Muslim ticket in the next presidential election.
He blamed President Jonathan for the backlash over the Muslim/Muslim
ticket rumour and said it had happened many times before in Nigeria with
no uproar from the masses.
He was speaking to “Face the Nation,” broadcast on Rockcity 101.9 FM, Abeokuta, yesterday.
Excerpts: People are waiting for the first major test for the APC,
the presidential primaries in particular. Permutations are on about who
will get it and all sort. What should Nigeria expect?
Look, the APC is just conducting it congress to select its leader for
its state and national offices. All these speculations about candidates
are neither here nor there. It is a design by the PDP to distract us.
The first time this story of Tinubu and Buhari thing came out was in
THISDAY newspaper, which is known to be sympathetic to the PDP and
Jonathan government. So, I will like to appeal to people to stop
believing all this rumours. The truth is that today, there is no one in
the APC that has declared for any office. Okay? General Buhari has not
said he is running. Asiwaju Tinubu has not said he is running. None of
the other names being mentioned has said he is running for any office
in 2015. It is all PDP-driven speculations to distract us and create
crisis in the party.
As far as I am concerned, I want to see two people, one for
presidency and another for vice presidency that would move Nigeria
forward. If they are both Christians or Muslims or Buddhist, Hindus or
Jews, I don’t care how they worship God. I believe in one God. I worship
God in my own way. I don’t ask other people to worship God the way I
worship God. I think religion is a private matter; it has nothing to do
with one’s performance in public office.
Once upon a time, specifically from 1979, in the South-west, Alhaji
Lateef Jakande was governor of Lagos Sate, his deputy was Alhaji Jafojo.
Both of them were Muslims. In Oyo State. there was Governor Bola Ige.
His deputy was S.M Afolabi and both of them were Christians. It was the
same story all over the South-west. In Sokoto State, it was a
Muslim-Muslim ticket and so also was in Kaduna State, even with its high
Christian population, no one raised any eye-brow then but today, the
situation is different. How did we get to this point?
I can even give you more examples. Throughout the years of the civil
war, Gen. Gowon, the head of state, was a Christian and his deputy,
Akinwale Wey, was a Christian; nobody noticed. In the administration of
Gen. Buhari, Buhari and Idiagbon, his deputy, were both Muslims;
nobody commented. In 1979, Chief Obafemi Awolowo picked his running
mate, Chief Phillip Umeadi from the South-east; both were Christians and
nobody complained. In 1993, Chief Moshood Abiola picked Alaji Babagana
Kingibe, another Muslim-Muslim ticket, and that’s the ticket that
actually won the election. So, if you ask me where and how Nigeria got
to this point, I will blame it pure and square on Goodluck Jonathan. It
is Goodluck Jonathan more than anybody.
But Goodluck Jonathan has only ruled this country for about four years?
Yes, he started it! He started using religion, as an instrument of
political division. It is in the Goodluck Jonathan administration that
the president of Nigeria goes to churches and makes policy
announcements. He is the only president of Nigeria that goes to
religious gatherings and makes public policy announcements. It is
deliberate and they are spending a lot of money in churches to bring
division, to give the impression that PDP is the party for Christians,
with the hope that he can buy Muslim political leaders in the North and
they have a large amount of money to do that. All this religious
divisions are contrived for political gains and it is unfortunate that
leaders who have responsibility to protect and project the constitution
are doing this, as a matter of deliberate tactics.
We have documents; we have proofs to show that. That is the strategy of Jonathan’s administration
You are known to be very close to Gen. Buhari. Please, tell us: Is he
contesting for the APC primaries for 2015 presidential race?
I am almost one hundred per cent certain that Gen. Buhari will
contest the next election but it is up to the APC members to make that
decision. I am one of those who have spent the last few years, trying to
convince him, asking him to contest again and I think I have almost
convinced him. My hope is that he will throw his hat in the ring as soon
as possible. You know he is my candidate and I have not hidden that
from anyone.
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