The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the choice of Muslim running mate of the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for the 2023 general elections.
Recall that on Sunday, the former Lagos State governor announced the former Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, as his vice-presidential candidate, which translates to a Muslim-Muslim ticket. This was against calls from some Nigerians for political parties not to field a ticket with both candidates of the same religion.
Reacting to the development yesterday, Atiku called on Nigerians not to allow ‘primordial sentiment’ to becloud politics, especially in such a very difficult time, noting that a society cannot progress if its politics is divisive. Calling on Nigerians to shun ‘exclusionist politics’, he said that the country had seen the worst shade of such politics, saying the road ahead is the path of inclusive and unifying politics.
The statement read in part: “Politics is meant to be a corrective mechanism. So, even when we’re upset about the inexcusable low that the ruling APC has brought us in the past seven years, we must ensure that we insulate our politics from the corrosive effect of the ruling party’s failures.
“The journey that we have signed on to undertake together is not one that we can accomplish by treading the inglorious path of exclusionist politics. This journey, our campaign, is a rescue mission for this nation; and it is a mission that must involve all Nigerians. So, while our opponents might think that there is an easy road to victory in divisive politics, we must get the message across to them that Nigeria has seen the worst shade of exclusionist politics, and the road ahead is the path of inclusive and unifying politics. That is what we stand for”, he said.
Atiku added that his party “are Unifiers and the Bridge-builders” and represent the future of a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria, unlike the ruling party.
