Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah, has described the same faith presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress as reprehensible and a setback for national integration.
The ticket features two Muslims, former Lagos and Borno governors, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, as president and vice presidential candidates respectively, for the 2023 elections.
The frank-talking cleric aired his opinion when asked about the APC ticket on a Channels TV interview Thursday night.
“As a Christian, this is totally reprehensible and not acceptable to me,” Mr Kukah said. “It has just laid the foundation and taken us back after the tide of progress we thought we have made in terms of national integration.”
The cleric noted Christians have made concession for Muslim-Muslim presidency twice in the past, asking if northern Muslims will acceptable same faith ticket if it is the reversed in favour of Christians.
“In 1983, when general Buhari came in as head of state, he took Tunde Idiagbon as deputy. Sadly, Nigerians were excited. Maybe that’s where we should return to as the scene of the crime.
“In 1993, Nigerians have gotten to a point under Abacha that whatever was required to get the military out, we are going to do it. I think we exaggerated what happened in 1993. But moving forward, the question I will ask my friends from northern Nigeria is, will Muslims in Northern Nigeria be ready to make the same concession that Christians made in 1984 ans 1993?” Mr Kukah asked.
Mr Tinubu’s choice of a Muslim running mate has sparked criticisms as Christians in the country see the decision as a divisive politics of exclusion that would widen dichotomy between the the two dominant faiths in the country.
An APC chieftain and ally to Mr Tinubu, Babachir Lawan, had described the Muslim-Muslim ticket as a satanic move, warning that Christians will vote against APC in the 2023 election.
