Bode George, the former National Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has reacted to the recent controversy surrounding a Muslim-Muslim ticket in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
George remarked that the APC presidential candidate Bola Tinubu’s controversial decision to field a Muslim as his running mate shows a clear lack of respect for Nigerians.
As seen by InsightnaijaTV, there have been mixed reactions across the country to the ruling APC’s decision to run a Muslim/Muslim ticket in the 2023 presidential election.
In their replies, some APC leaders urged Nigerians to overlook the religious beliefs of the party’s presidential candidate and his running mate and instead focus on their skills.
George said talk that Tinubu would choose a Muslim as his running mate would be inappropriate during a news conference in Lagos on Tuesday.
The PDP leader claimed that such a ticket would be disastrous and would simply intensify the country’s already difficult religious situation.
According to George, the possibility of a Muslim/Muslim ticket is unthinkable, and any attempt to do so would likely result in turmoil in the country.
He said: “It will be a complete lack of respect for the people. We cannot afford to conflagrate this country. So respect for the electorate. Respect for their view and respect for whatever will bring normalcy to Nigeria is what we should be doing.
“If the anger exhibited all over the country against religious intolerance and then you exacerbate it by now picking up somebody that is of the same religious sect like you how do you convince the people?
“Right now, on a religious basis, there is so much unnecessary tension created. All kinds of things are flying through the media and social media and people are more careful and conscious. Nigeria is a secular state.
“We are more conscious now. The experience of Owo and some other places have given people that kind of alert and awareness that we have to be careful. That particular parameter has been woven into the political equation of this country.
“If you think you don’t have to bother about that, it means you have no respect or regard for those who are practicing one religion or the other and it will be a measure of the kind of personality that you are.”
George also stated that the PDP is still consulting and has not made a decision on a running partner for Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential nominee.
“We have not yet decided because we are considering all kinds of issues to know where the vice-presidential candidate will go to. It is not a one-man job and we cannot afford to mess up.
“It is the collective responsibility of the leaders of the party and I am sure that they have put parameters in place and my prayer is that God will direct them. If all parties make a mess, who will suffer? It is the future generations that will suffer,” he said.
