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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress’ (APC) choice of same faith ticket for the 2023 presidential election has been described as a suicide mission.
Supporters of the APC on the platform of the auspices of League of Concerned Christian Youth in the APC, on Tuesday stated this at a press conference in Abuja.
The youths urged the APC to reconsider its stance on the choice of Kashim Shettima and Governor Simon Lalong as vice-presidential candidate and Director-General of its campaign organisation, stating that the party’s insistence on Muslim-Muslim ticket has caused untold disaffection in its ranks and file.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday in Abuja, Convener of the group, Patrick Maiyaki, emphasized the need for the APC leadership to replace Shettima with a Christian, claiming that doing so would ensure the party’s win in the upcoming election.
He said: “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.
He went further to state that 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 (INEC).
“It behoves the party’s leadership to act before the 20th of September when the Independent National Electoral Commission is expected to publish the final list of presidential candidates for the 2023 presidential elections.
“As concerned stakeholders of the party, our support for the party remains unflinching. This much we have exhibited on numerous forums, conferences and other public engagements across the country.
Our emphasis remains on how to win the elections for the party.
Our emphasis remains on how to win the elections for the party.
“One of the ways the party can lose the elections is if it goes ahead with the Muslim-Muslim Ticket that has been condemned and rejected by the bulk of Nigerians”.
Maiyaki called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently save the party from electoral misfortunes at the general elections
“We believe in the chances of the party at the elections, hence this request for urgent intervention to save the party from impending doom at the presidential election,” he added
