A North Central group, the Middle-Belt Congress, MBC, has told the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Kashim Shettima, to resign as Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s running mate in next year’s Presidential election to save the party from perceived impending electoral misfortune in 2023.
At a press briefing in Abuja, Wednesday, MBC’s leader, Mr. Bilal Abdullahi, and others, said the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC comes with its attendant political baggage.
According to them, if APC, is desirous of making any meaningful impact in the 2023 presidential elections, it is expected that the party retrace its steps in the composition of its presidential ticket.
The groups explained that the self-confession of Senator Kashim Shettima towards the Christian community might caused the party a serious setback, as his actions of late do not indicate religious tolerant.
“It remains a statement that since the nomination of Senator Kashim Shettima, the APC evolved into a riotous organization with various stakeholders in abhorrence for the choice of a Northern Muslim at the detriment of credible and capable Northern Christians.
“It remains morally unjustifiable for Senator Kashim Shettima to hold onto the vice presidential slot of the APC because such action has heated the polity in ways too numerous to mention.”
They appeal to Shettima to act with honour by resigning his nomination as the vice presidential candidate of the APC, in the interest of peace and to salvage whatever is left of the APC, in the buildup to the 2023 presidential elections.
“Senator Kashim Shettima must, in good conscience, admit that his nomination has indeed brought about ethnic and religious tension in the country, which remains unacceptable in this critical period of our existence where there are concerted efforts at unifying the country along ethnic and religious lines.”
It noted that Muslim-Muslim ticket cannot unite the country and that alone is enough for Senator Kashim Shettima to reconsider his vice presidential candidature.