Former Edo Governor Adams Oshiomhole has congratulated the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for picking Sen. Kashim Shettima as his running mate.
He described the Tinubu/Shettima ticket as a balanced ticket for the party, noting that Tinubu’s track record and Shettima’s sterling qualities will spur the party to victory.
Oshiomhole spoke during an interview with TVC Breakfast Morning Show.
He cautioned that discussions on ethnicity, religion, other primordial sentiments were not helpful, urging people to devote more time on discussing other serious issues especially the lingering ASUU strike.
He said: “The more opposition party joined the Muslim-Muslim debate, the more I’m satisfied that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s decision is right.
“We need courage. We have struggled to balance this religious issues in recent years. Tinubu’s decision shows that he will take bold step when elected.
“If the number of churches and mosques we have built over the years is equal to number of factories, we won’t be at this poverty level in the country
“We can’t continue with business as usual. I’m satisfied with the quality of Shettima. He his well-read and well-exposed. He is well awarded both home and abroad.
“We should spend time interrogating the personality, competence of Tinubu’s nominee. Soon, pagans will organise themselves to say otherwise too.
“It is a balanced ticket; balanced ticket in terms of competence, and their antecedents. The opposition party are threatened by this bold decision because they are sensing defeat.
The APC National Chairman explained how Shettima devoted time building schools, renovating houses and tackling insurgency during his tenure as Borno governor.
“What are the fears of people making this comment? They are saying there are plans to islamise Nigerians. The candidate himself (Tinubu) has he islamise his own family members? His wife is a Christian and a pastor.
“If elected, Asiwaju can be trusted to take tough decisions. The more we indulge people in this conversation, the more this dysfunctional conversation will continue. Nigeria did better when religion, ethnicity were not issues.
He called on religious associations and organisations to focus on their various religious activities.
“Let CAN manage business of the church, let JNI manage business of the mosques, let the government be in charge of the people including the unbelievers.
“Given the level of criminality in our system, does it reflect our religion? The fact that a man sleeps in the church does not mean that he is a believer, or sleeps in mosque does not mean he is a believer. Some people go to mosques to steal footwears.
“Our presidential candidate is a happily married man. He has demonstrated religious tolerance by the fact that his own wife is practicing her own faith. How can a man who allowed freedom of worship in his home Islamise the country?”
Oshiomhole asked: “As we speak, we have a balanced ticket (Muslim-Christian), where has it translated to?”
He called for policy debate on different issues rather focus on religious-driven discussions.
