LEAD Network Rejects Tinubu's Muslim-Muslim Ticket

The Leadership and Entrepreneurship Advocacy (LEAD) Network Africa has criticised Bola Tinubu for picking a Muslim running mate in a country of over 100 million Christians.

The Executive Director of the NGO, Chukwuma Okenwa, said this on Tuesday in Enugu while reacting to the latest political move of the APC flag bearer.

Okenwa noted that the choice of a fellow Muslim as running mate by Tinubu suggests he is not fit to lead a diverse nation like Nigeria where region, ethnicity and religion represent the reality of the people.

According to him, it is instructive to note that in 2015, Tinubu lost his chance of becoming the Vice-President because of the lack of political lustre and unacceptability associated with a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“How does he want to lose out again this time at the poll, now he has got the chance to run for the position of the president?

“For those who claim that his choice was entirely based on competence; does that suggest that the Nigerian Christians are a group of incompetent folks?

“If Ahmed Tinubu did not pick from same region or ethnicity as himself under the guise of competence because of our reality in a country of many parts, why would he choose from same religion which when compared with the dynamics of region and ethnicity is even a stronger factor in Nigerian society?

“We have practically seen how religion is capable of separating people of the same region or ethnicity.

“With Christians dominating four regions in Nigeria, it is arguably that Nigeria has more Christians than Muslims, thus this level of insensitivity is detestable and condemnable and should not be associated with someone who wants to lead a diverse society like Nigeria", he said.

Okenwa added that what was even more worrisome “is that this decision is coming at a time when there is so much of religious suspicion”.

“As expected, there is this feeling in some quarters that this is a deliberate and desperate move to adopt a state religion,” he stated.