A frontline chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Engineer Oyedele Hakeem Alao, has appealed to Nigerians to look beyond religion in the presidential team of the party, saying the Muslim-Muslim ticket should not be seen as anti-Christian.
Alao while featuring on a radio programme in Ibadan, the state capital, said in as much as religion matters in the lives of human beings including Nigerians, the time has come for the country to emphasis more on what would bring good governance and development to the country.
He maintained that with the country divided into North and South and the presidential candidate is from the South, the choice of vice presidential candidate as made by the North should be accepted in the interest of the country, stating that what should be paramount is the competence of the choice made.
While emphasizing that the South West region for a long time has continued to enjoy religious harmony among Muslims and Christians with adherents of the two faiths inter-marry, the gubernatorial aspirant under the platform of the APC in the last governorship primary, said Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the president is competent to make Nigeria better and ensure that Nigerians live in unity irrespective of religious or ethnic differences.
According to him, “I want to sincerely appeal to Nigerians to take the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of our great party, APC, in good faith and not an attempt of been anti-Christian. I believe we should focus on the competence of the two men to make Nigeria a country of our dream.
“Asiwaju Tinubu has done it before as governor of Lagos State and if elected president on whom everything must stop on his table, he would not do anything to jeopardize the interest of Christians but rather ensure religious harmony to make Nigeria a better place for all to live.”
On the crises in the party in Oyo State after the last primaries, he said the party has the mechanism to put its house in order, disclosing that a reconciliation committee set up by the national headquarters of the party would in the state next week to reconcile all those that are aggrieved.
The Oman-based Project and Contract Management Specialist, who admitted that he was aggrieved with the governorship primary of the party, however insisted that as a progressive he would not leave the party as it is the best platform for him to realise his political ambition.
“The last governorship primary has come and gone and the national leadership of the party has already put in place a reconciliation committee which would be in the state next week. But for me no matter my grievances as a progressive I would not leave APC”, he said.
