In the wake of speculations in the media that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC may field a Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2023 presidential election, Governor Nasru El-Rufai of Kaduna State has urged the media to set aside religion from politics and governance in Nigeria.
El-Rufai, while speaking on the issue on Channels TV’s political show, Politics Today, noted that the media should be on the lookout for competence, capacity, capability and delivery.
He said, “I don’t think we should be looking at religion. We want to develop this country. When I get into a plane, I don’t ask the religion of the pilot. When I go to the hospital, I don’t ask for the doctor’s religion of the doctor, I just want to get well. I just want to get to my destination when in an aircraft.
“The way the media and many irresponsible people try to inject religion into politics and governance is sad and pathetic, and will not take us anywhere.
He described as sad and pathetic, what he termed as fixation of Nigerians with religion instead of competence and delivery.
“Nigeria is at the crossroads. We face very serious dangers in security and economic meltdown. Global issues are affecting us and all people are concerned with as far as who will be President I or Vice President is concerned is religion. It’s so sad.
“It’s not our religion that will solve our problems. It’s the people, who are competent and capable, that will address Nigerians’ problems, unite this country and put it on a progressive path,” he added.
Meanwhile, El-Rufa’s name has been in the radar of possible running-mate for the APC presidential flag bearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
While Tinubu and stakeholders of the ruling party intensify consultations on choice of running-mate, other names that have been listed as likely running-mate for the APC presidential candidates are the Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu; Kano State Governor, Abdulahi Ganduje; Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Gida Mustapha and Malam Kashim Ibrahim-Imam.
But, El-Rufai has dismissed the claim, just as he described it as speculation.
He said, “I don’t engage in endless speculation. The candidate will choose his running-mate. He will evaluate many factors, and the best we can do is to give him space and time and advise him and guide him to make the right choice.”
When asked how APC Muslim-Muslim ticket would sit with Nigerians, El-Rufai said he didn’t looking at the issue from the perspective of Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian.
“I don’t think the business of governance has to do with religion. I think we should look for the best person for the job and the person that will get the job done.
“I’m the wrong person to ask, because in my state I picked a very qualified and competent woman as running-mate in the 2019 elections, but just because it happened to be a Muslim, people are calling it a Muslim-Muslim ticket, and they said we are going to lose, but we didn’t. we won overwhelmingly.”
