2023 Polls: Drop Shettima, Lalong Before Sept 20 – Coalition Warns APC

BY EDMOND ODOK – Despite deliberate moves to build a consensus around their same-faith ticket, a coalition of All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders from the North East and North Central insist the party’s decision has caused deep-rooted disaffection and suspicion in its ranks

They have therefore tasked the ruling party to revisit its choice of Kashim Shettima and Governor Simon Lalong as a vice-presidential candidate and campaign Director-General respectively.

Addressing the media in Abuja on Monday, Secretary-General of the group, Dauda Yakubu, urged the APC leadership to urgently address the now deafening cries of marginalisation by Christians in the party before September 20 that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled to publish the final list of candidates for the 2023 presidential election.

According to Yakubu, the choice of Shettima as Bola ATinubu’s running mate is considered not only insensitive, but also an utter disrespect for the ethnic and religious plurality of the country.

He said; “The leadership of the Coalition of North East and North Central APC Stakeholders is holding this press conference to drive home a crucial point that can affect the party’s electoral chances in the forthcoming presidential elections.

“It remains a known fact that the Muslim-Muslim Ticket of the party has indeed caused untold disaffection in the ranks of the party, especially in the North East and the North Central states in the country.

“The choice of Senator Kashim Shettima as the Vice Presidential Candidate of the APC has indeed questioned the position of our great party on mutual respect for the ethnic and religious plurality of the country.

“This is on the heels that the party elected to disregard the highly qualified and loyal party members from the North East and North Central region of Christian origin as Vice Presidential candidates of the party.”

Berating the party further, the Coalition said; “This action was insensitive and a gross display of insensitivity and strategy by the party’s leadership. We must state that since the return of democracy in 1999, it has been the trend for ethnic and religious balancing of political positions to give all a sense of belonging in the Nigerian project”.

They also described the appointment of Governor Lalong as Tinubu’s Campaign Director-General as “a feeble attempt” at assuaging the Christian stakeholders who have contributed immensely to the APC’s development, adding that such afterthought gesture is not enough to ease the ill feelings generated across the country by same faith ticket

While noting that the current arrangement is viewed in many quarters as an insult on the sensibilities of Christians, the Stakeholders said to avoid outright rejection in 2023, the APC hierarchy must urgently resolve the impasse that arose out of greed and inconsiderate nature of some wthat do not wish the ruling party well.