Muslim-Muslim ticket: The politics, the realities

By Harold Chinonyerem

In his 1812 narrative; ‘Childe Harold’s pilgrimage’, English poet, Lord Byron wrote; ‘Man marks the earth with ruin – his control stops with the shore’. In that one-liner, Byron summarised the negative results of man’s quest to dominate. The Nigeria of today is an example of such ruins. Over time, the once peaceful and progressive country has gradually become a theatre of the absurd. As the 2023 general elections approaches, one issue that has become highly contentious is the Muslim-Muslim Presidential ticket of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). With the exception of few moderates on both divides, Christians and Muslims have vehemently rejected and insisted on the ticket respectively. Whereas the politicians insist that Northern Muslims will not vote for a Southern Muslim Candidate unless paired with a Northern Muslim, Christians insist that such a ticket has no consideration for them. As both groups cling to their positions, issuing threats and counter threats, the polity is heating up.

For me, the polity is being unduly heated up. The assumption that the Northern Muslim will not vote for a Southern Muslim/Northern Christian ticket may not be factual. Likewise, the assumption that a Muslim-Muslim presidency would set the country on fire may be an extreme view. The problem of Nigeria is neither Christianity nor Islam. It is neither the Hausa/Fulani nor the Yoruba, Ijaw, Efik etc. It is not even the average politician. No; the problems of Nigeria are the political ‘cliques’ that have successively plundered this nation. These overlords have representatives in every tribe, religion, section etc. They divide Nigerians with their antics during the struggle for political power but are united when it comes to plundering the treasury. I have interacted with different Nigerians and in my experience, the average Nigerian lives by Mahatma Gandhi’s concept that ‘all men are brothers’.

In August 2009, while on a ‘church-planting’ assignment in Port-Harcourt, I experienced this brotherly love.   

That day, I was travelling from Port-Harcourt to my native town in Abia State when my car stopped (having run out of fuel) near the Imo-River Bridge along the Port Harcourt-Aba Expressway around 1am. By my right was a deserted market and across the express was a signboard advertising; ‘Amazing Grace Mortuary’. I reflected on my activities earlier with regrets. After Bible Study that evening, I had left for Abia State but ran into a gruelling traffic jam that delayed my movement. When I got to Eleme Junction after midnight, I discovered I was low on fuel. Unadvisedly, I continued the journey, hoping that the fuel would subsist. But alas, I was stranded. I could not get help until some Fulani herdsmen shepherding their cows came along. I approached them and they helped me push the car to a safer place. They also helped me stop a truck carrying yams from Kano and appealed to the driver who took me to the Hausa-Fulani yam depot at Onne. My negative pre-conceptions of Northerners changed that day because of the excellent hospitality those ‘Mullah’ provided. I rested awhile among them and continued my journey the next morning.

Today, if that situation is re-enacted, I would definitely run for my life at the sight of herdsmen. That is how deteriorated the situation has become. Not long ago, stories of terrorism were news to Nigerians, but today, terrorism has turned Nigeria into a huge theatre of carnage. Clearly, the ruling class is responsible for this decline. For the most part of our independent history, Nigeria has been ruled by parochial leaders whose actions and inactions have left the country polarised. The scramble for power, which came with independence, created divisions and struggles that promoted sectional and religious sentiments. These soon led to coups, counter-coups and eventually a bloody civil war which entrenched deep-seated distrust within the polity. The religious divisions between the Christian-dominated South and the Muslim North has not helped matters, as dubious state actors among successive ruling ‘clans’ have used these differences to accentuate the divisive lines. Consequently, religious diversity, which was the cornerstone of great civilizations like Mesopotamia and Rome, has become an albatross for Nigeria. Today, the sights and sounds of religious intolerance reverberate throughout the nation threatening to destroy the last strings of our fabric. Indeed, things have fallen apart for Nigeria. The million-dollar question is; can the centre ever hold? Can Nigeria ever break free of these shackles and arise to claim its rightful place among the comity of nations?

My answer is YES. Nigeria has got every component of a great country; human, material and natural resources. The only factor missing is inspiring leadership. On the day Nigeria gets the right leaders, her latent potentials shall manifest. However, for this to happen, all men of good conscience must work together because the onus is on all of us to change the narrative. The advent of this new electoral season offers a major opportunity. Getting this 2023 election right would be a step in the right direction. To this end, all hands must be on deck to break the vicious cycle. First, every Nigerian of voting age must be willing to make sacrifices to elect the best possible leaders based on competence and pedigree instead of primordial considerations like region and religion. The young people who usually cause mayhem during elections must refrain from such. On their part, the electoral umpire; INEC must eschew corruption and create an enabling environment for credible elections. The political class must understand that politics is for service and should therefore avoid desperation. Finally and most importantly, President Muhammadu Buhari must make up his mind to give Nigeria a free and fair election. He must understand that this election offers him the opportunity to write his name in gold. He must be told by those who love him that history beckons and if he can rise above base sentiments to give Nigeria their desired leader he would write his name on humanity’s hall of honour.

•Rev. Harold Chinonyerem writes in from Lagos.