As the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu continue his search for suitable running mate which has been heating up the polity, former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor-Kalu has said the only option available for Tinubu is a muslim Muslim ticket.
Kalu threw up another controversy when he asked Christians in Nigeria to accept the prospect of a Muslim-Muslim ticket from the ruling party.
Speaking with Journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, Kalu said if APC wants to retain power in 2023, the only option available to Tinubu and the party is Muslim Muslim ticket, anything else he said could be disastrous.
The Chief Whip of the Senate said if he were in Tinubu’s shoes, he would not hesitate to settle for a Muslim-Muslim ticket stressing that the important thing is for APC to win the election.
“Do you want me to speak the truth. If I were in Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s situation, already his wife is a pastor in a pentecostal church
I will go for a Muslim-Muslim ticket. The most important thing is for the party to win”.
He said there was no need for citizens to keep up with the “rubbish”, that seems to give unnecessary considerations to religion of candidates for elective positions.
“Already the wife is a pentecostal pastor and they have been living for over forty-something years. I’ve known them. So why do you want to blame- already she’s like a deputy President.”
Kalu said he knows his opinion might not go well with his Catholic church, emphasizing that the current political exigencies leave Tinubu and APC with no other option other than Muslim Muslim ticket.
“I know the church I go to the Catholic Secretariat might condemn me but what is wrong with Muslim Muslim ticket. I don’t see anything wrong with Muslim-Muslim ticket- there is nothing wrong with Christian-christian ticket also. It depends on the condition. The condition we find ourselves today is that you cannot play two minorities.”
“Tinubu is a minority Muslim from the South and if you put a Christian from the North he is a minority from the North. You cannot play two minorities”.
The lawmaker said he sees nothing wrong with Christian-Christian ticket but that the arrangement will depend on the prevailing political situation.
He said the current political calculation is clearly in favour of a Muslim-Muslim ticket and it will be
suicidal for Tinubu and APC to do otherwise.
“We can’t play two minorities”, he said.
I’m saying my opinion. I am a Catholic, I’m saying my opinion. This is Orji Kalu’s opinion. You cannot deny me my opinion.
“You can also play Christian christian ticket depending on the scenerio. If we don’t play Muslim Muslim ticket we are in trouble, we cannot win the election, it will be very difficult to win election.
“The only thing left for Ahmed Tinubu today is to play Muslim-Muslim ticket”
Asked if he is not bothered that Tinubu was putting his fate too much in the hands of the North against his own South, Kalu retorted, are those Northerners not Nigerians”.