By Dr Uche Diala
Hitherto, I have not said anything on the above issue but intend to weigh in now for my benefit and I hope one or two others can benefit from it too.
I, like every other Nigerian, including Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu himself (if you read his presentation speech gave this issue a serious thought because whether we like it or not, religion is a dynamic that we have allowed to play a significant role in every aspect of our national life, politics and leadership. However, even as I say that, I know it is a misnomer and an unhealthy aberration. Yet we have lived it; including myself but living it does not mean it is the way, the right way or the best way. ‘Na so we de do am’ does not necessarily mean it is the right or best way to do a thing. Please bear that in mind. It is important. Because it helps you to better accept when something happens contrary to the norm, common expectation or convention (Defn: A way in which something is usually done). It is clearly different from a Law; whether a God given law like the 10 commandments, Natural law (law of nature) or Constitutional law.
It would help this topic and the reader’s understanding to go down the path I deliberately set up and followed from before the APC Primaries to the present. That path helped me to navigate from the pre-primaries to the present situation and moment. It might help you too; if you can be objective minded like me.
We do not react or deal with political issues (please let us not forget that this is strictly politics, and not a Nigerian Inter-Religious Council affair) with unbridled emotions. Even as we are emotional beings, we all have the capacity and indeed the duty to keep our emotions in check, by striving to compartmentalize issues as they should are or should be, trying to look at all sides of the issues, being realistic and trying to be fair to all as much as we want others to be fair to us.
I am not all knowing or perfect but I strive to deploy a series of objective and disimpassioned processes to ultimately arrive at my position on issues; both personal (within my control) and public (outside my control. As a proactive and pragmatic person I had envisaged and dutifully given the issue of a possibility of a Muslim-Muslim ticket a thought; even before the APC Primaries.
1. As a patriotic Nigerian citizen who has been deeply and actively engaged with what is being done by the current administration since 2015 and then as an APC member, I had determined for a fact that if I wanted the good efforts of the administration that I know about to continue, it would be best for someone from the APC to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari to keep building Nigeria up and forward. For me, it is a no brainer. Everyone who knows me knows I have always harped on that. This is my objective personal decision which I am entitled to and no one has given me any convincing, fact based and informed argument devoid of emotional and ethno-religious gerrymandering why my decision is wrong. Therefore I only had interest in what happened in the APC Primaries.
2. In line with No. 1 above, I listed 7 individuals in the APC who I called “My Options” and I knew any of them would be capable of doing that effectively. I deliberately refused to declare publicly support for any one of them, rather I spotlighted all of them and corrected, cautioned or redirected any person or camp that went overboard. Of course I had my order of preference (even if it was in my heart) and I hoped that person would emerge.
The reason was simple. It was an internal party Primaries election that would produce a candidate that the APC would go into the general election with. In that light, if I was sincere with my No 1 above (and I was), then there was no need for ‘roforofo’ fights. In the end, if any of the people I had identified from day one got it (even it was not the person I had preference for), I would be able to push ahead in pursuit of No 1 point. ‘My choice/my way or the highway’ has no place in civilized politics. Everyone knows that the person who eventually emerged as the APC candidate was one of those 7 I listed well before the Primaries.
3. This is the kernel of the matter at hand and why I had to make this submission. In spite of Nos 1 & 2 above, as a pragmatic person with foresight, I saw the very real possibility of a Muslim-Muslim ticket; even before the Primaries election and why not? Senator Bola Tinubu was in pole position to get the APC ticket baring any surprises. Every sound political watcher in Nigeria; even beyond the APC knew that. It was not just about money, let us be sincere. He had built the bridges, loyalties and structures long before.
Tinubu is a Muslim from the South West. By convention; much stronger than religion, geopolitical balance/rotation between the North and South was a stronger requirement for Presidential power in Nigeria so much so that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) enshrined it in its party constitution. The North viz the APC Northern Governors having endorsed the Presidential ticket to go South for 2023, it was only naturally expected that the vice presidential ticket would head North.
Knowing what we all know; whether it is right or wrong, true or false, just or unjust, every informed Nigerian knew that when that vice presidential ticket goes to the North, it would mostly likely go to a Muslim. This has nothing to do with whether there are no competent, educated, intelligent or trusted Northern Christians. There surely are but it always helps to be realistic. It is like asking; are there no competent women in Nigeria to be President? Certain historic things simply happen with time or by chance. So of course it was not cast in stone but the likelihood that such a VP candidate on a Tinubu Presidential ticket would be a Muslim was surely above 90% by my assessment.
I recognized that reality back then and not being naive or cowardly, I wrote publicly before the Primaries that the APC should try to avoid a Muslim-Muslim ticket. That did not go down well with some people who saw it as me being against Tinubu’s ambition but I was being blunt. Yet, thinking about it; in saying that, I allowed my idealism and the Nigerian and Christian in me to hold sway in line with ‘na so we de do am’. That is Muslim-Christian or Christian-Muslim is ideal but was that a law or a constitutional requirement? So I said that but I also knew that it is democracy and politics. In a democracy, the minority will have it say while the majority will have its way. It is beholden on the majority to be fair to and carry the minority along after having its way.
Thinking it further, in terms of fairness which we all seek to be done to us, was I fair or would it have been fair to deny Tinubu that ticket simply because he happens to be a Muslim from the South and there was a high likelihood (with realities on ground) of him being constrained to pick another Muslim from the North as running mate? Let us be fair too. It simply would not have been fair.
In the end, Tinubu got the ticket and the stage was finally set to pick a running mate. Of course no single person had any doubt that the running mate would come for the North. The only questions were; from which geopolitical zone in the North, who and what religion? In that order. Sincerely as soon as Tinubu emerged the candidate, I personally shifted my considerations from mainly whether the running mate would be a Muslim or Christian to how qualified, competent, broad minded, nationalist, patriotic etc that person would be, to able to further my No. 1 above which over and above all is most important; if we are to be sincere and serious.
Hence my submission when that announcement finally came on 10th July thus: “The choice of Shettima is the best and most realistic under the circumstance. Shettima brings real value to the ticket; not just politically in terms of winning the election but also in terms of the task ahead for the nation”. This might have being my instant reaction but it was a product of an objective and long drawn out process.
Understandably, some Nigerians have expressed deep disappointment and displeasure. Some have even accused Tinubu of being selfish because he wants to win election. How unfair is that? What other motive(s) does one have for running for office if not to win? If the most realistic option open to him and his party to enhance their chances of winning is to pick a Muslim running mate from the North; with no laws broken, what is selfish about that? Again let us be fair, sincere and realistic.
This reminds me of the submission I made at the time emotions were flying high especially in the South East over the PDP ticket. I said that the only realistic option available to the PDP; if it desires to have even a showing in the 2023 presidential election is to cede its presidential ticket to the North and specifically to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Except it wants to play ‘nice guy’ to the South East but political parties are built to acquire power and strive to keep it. It is not a moral or religious institution or venture. It happened like that. Surely the issues at stake here are different but the PDP did what it considered needful and expedient to win election.
All that said, I sincerely respect and appreciate everyone’s emotions, views, disappointments and disenchantments but I want to appeal for restraint, objectivity and fairness. The same fairness we all desire. Naturally, I would have preferred a Muslim-Christian ticket myself (of course) but when things turn out in a particular manner without deliberate manipulation, it also behooves on us; as Christians or Muslims to see it as the will of God.
Except we are saying that the APC should have deliberately denied Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a Yoruba Muslim from the South (West) the APC ticket (even if he won it) in favor of a Southern Christian who would then pick a Northern Muslim as running mate. Then there would not have been an issue raised? Right? Please let us always think deep and beyond the emotions.
Very importantly, let us all think of the task of rebuilding the nation that we already embarked on at great pains since 2015. It must continue and it cannot be sacrificed on the altar of who becomes vice president; knowing fully well that the key is the head of the ticket that is the president and by the dictates of democracy and our home grown democratic conventions in Nigeria, there is and would be a balance of power with the Legislature (Senate President and Vice President, Speaker & Deputy Speaker HOR). It is not all lost. That is where the real balance of power happens. Not with President and Vice President, even though I understand the point many Nigerians have made about unity.
I am sincerely calling upon and seriously counting on patriots, comrades, truly de-tribalized and de-religionised Nigerians; many of who I have fraternized with and fought alongside with for the last 7 years. It is time to practice what we preach. We must stand to be counted.
Expectedly many opposition elements will surely want to make mischievous bone out of this but we must avoid giving fifth columnists on the prowl a platform to perpetuate their mischief. Those going overboard to mischievously say if Tinubu (a Yoruba Muslim from the South West with a known profile; who is happily married to a Christian Pastor) and Shettima (a Kanuri Muslim with proven record of liberalism and affection and tolerance for Christians as a Governor) becoming President and Vice President means a jihad against Christianity and an annihilation of Christendom in Nigeria should realize their folly and that Nigeria and Nigerians have passed that stage and level of primitive gerrymandering.
Reading carefully through Senator Bola Tinubu’s presentation speech, no one is left in doubt that he himself clearly understands the burden that decision and choice places on him and I am confident that burden would put him on his toes to do even more to assure and reassure all Nigerians; Christians, Muslims and Traditional worshipers alike that he means well and to work hard to unite us IF he becomes President. Who even knows? This might just be the beginning of the deliverance of Nigeria and Nigerians from the shackles and bondage of religious enslavement; at least politically. Who knows? Someday, we might equally be presented with a Christian-Christian ticket and then no one would have a moral authority to oppose it. Let God Be God.
Finally, by all means, let us take our decisions but let it be devoid of emotions and sentiments, lies and half-truths, bigotry, hate and personal attacks and let us place greater emphasis on what the Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates bring to the table in terms of competence, experience, track record, character, personality etc and where we are headed and play down on their religion. Same goes for all the other Candidates.
May Nigeria Keep Rising And Winning.
#GodBlessNigeria
*Dr. Uche Diala is a Eyecare practitioner and Medical Director, NU Vision Eye Clinic, Owerri, Imo State.