PDP Chieftain Backs Peter Obi, Calls It ‘Justice’
- APC, PDP total disappointments for Nigerians
BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – A former Member representing Jos East/Jos South Federal constituency in the National Assembly and stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Bitrus Kaze has described the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential same faith ticket as improper and only aimed at shortchanging the Christian community in Nigeria.
This is as he canvasses support for the Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi on the platform of justice and for the sake of carrying every geo-political zone and section of the country along in the political space.
The former lawmaker, who spoke in Jos, the Plateau State capital, urged Nigerians to fully support the “Obi movement,” for the sake of justice, inclusiveness, and good governance, even as he warned that the ruling party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket must be rejected at all cost everyone that means well for Nigeria’s unity and peace.
Similarly, Kaze frowned at PDP’s choice of another Northern Muslim as its Presidential candidate after the eight years tenure of Muhammadu Buhari, stressing that such arrogance demonstrates a lack of consideration for the people of other faiths and zones.
According to him; “… What in the first place is making people talk about Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian ticket? That trend of argument has become prominent because it is in the subconscious minds of Nigerians that if the President is Christian, naturally, the Vice would be Muslim, and vice versa but we have so gone arrogant to the extent that we are pretending that that doesn’t matter.
“Is it proper in a country like ours with several tribes and religions, for a Muslim to be a President for eight years and then you bring up another Muslim, north, west, south, or east to continue as a President in another eight years? As a Christian, I feel short-changed and I will not yield to that because it is not fair.
“The Muslim-Muslim ticket happened over 30 years ago when I was elected a councilor. Christians tolerated; canvassed votes for Abiola, notwithstanding that his Vice was a Muslim. I want to ask you; will there ever be a time in this country that a Christian will run as a President and pick another Christian as a running mate and then we have peace?”
Kaze further stated that “The mistake the PDP has done is not the issue of Okowa or Wike, it is the issue of the Presidency, Atiku or anybody from the north ought not to be our candidate. I won’t work for Atiku because it offends our social, religious and even economic sensibilities that somebody from the northwest has been a President for eight years and you expect another person from the northeast and the same religion as the former to be there for another eight years.
“It will be a betrayal of trust for me to commit myself to such a project. As a person, I am at home with Peter Obi and this is what I will suggest to our people, look forward to giving Peter Obi your votes because that is justice, it will carry every section of the country along.
“In 2019, I was firmly with Atiku because of Obi, now Obi was forced to leave. If the PDP is ready to take the ticket from the north and give anybody from the South even if it is a dog, I will support it but with the extent that the PDP has infringed its own constitution, how will I be faithful to the PDP constitution.”
On his newfound love and support for the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidates, the PDP chieftain said; “You can be a diehard PDP or APC, the Peter Obi’s movement is raging everywhere, he stands out simply because Nigerians feel that both the PDP and the APC on the Presidential tickets disappointed Nigerians.
“The constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria provides this country must be administered in a manner that commands national loyalty, the constitution of our party is that they shall be zoning… if I did not support the Plateau PDP gubernatorial candidate on the basis of zoning in 2015, I will be unfair to the late GNS to support Atiku in 2023.”
