BENJAMIN OMOIKE
In what may be seen as a dig at the choice of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Presidential Candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for picking a fellow Muslim, Kashim Shettima as his running mate, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has hinted his opposition to the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Atiku, in a statement, described the action as “divisive and exclusionist politics.”
According to him, the ruling party has brought the nation to a low level, urging Nigerians to ditch the party.
Politics, he said, “is meant to be a corrective mechanism. So, even when we’re upset about the inexcusable low that the ruling All Progressives Congress (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.”
Atiku added that a society cannot progress if its politics is divisive.
He said: “Dear friend and compatriot, the journey that we have signed on to undertake together is not one that we can accomplish by threading the inglorious path of exclusionist politics. This journey, our campaign, is a rescue mission 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.”
According to the former Vice President, his party (the PDP) “are Unifiers and the bridge-builders” and represent the future of a peaceful and prosperous Nigeria, unlike the ruling party.
