By joshua MUSLIM-MUSLIM TICKET WAS STRATEGY FOR VICTORY, NOT ISLAMIZATION – CNNPF TELLS CHRISTIAN LEADERS
The Christian Northern Nigeria Progressive Forum, CNNPF, has urged Christian leaders across the 19 Northern States and Nigeria to stop lamenting over the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, describing it as a political strategy that has produced inclusive governance under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In a statement issued and signed by its National Chairman, Elder Hon. Ibrahim Gabriel Itodo, who also double as Senior Special Assistant, Christian Political Matters, the group said the APC’s choice of a Muslim-Muslim ticket was “God-ordained” to unite Nigerians and defeat politicians who weaponize religion, ethnicity and sectionalism.
“The primary interest of any political party is to win elections for its flag bearers. The Muslim-Muslim ticket was a God-ordained channel to bless Christians and all Nigerians,” the statement read.
CNNPF argued that Nigerians have moved beyond “cheap religious sentiments” and pointed to what it described as unprecedented Christian appointments and inclusion in government since 1999 under the Tinubu administration.
The forum commended President Tinubu for what it called “a surgical operation on the Nigerian economy,” saying though the reforms come with pain, the President has been honest and bold about it.
It also lauded Sen. Oluremi Bola Tinubu, CON, described as “the Esther of this administration,” for her “motherly and spiritual role” at the center of government.
“Hunger, poverty, and insecurity do not know religion, tribe, or ethnicity. The solution must also not be built on those lines. The solution is that we must unite against terrorism, banditry, and all forms of insurgency. There must be a country before we can experiment with credible leadership,” the group stated.
CNNPF declared President Tinubu as “the best candidate for us at this moment,” and called for support for the APC to enable the administration to complete its reforms.
The group recalled that major presidential candidates in the past had agreed that the presidency should rotate between the South and the North.
“Let us allow the South to honorably finish its term, after which power will naturally move to the North,” it said.
The forum appealed to Christian leaders not to be dissuaded by opposition narratives, saying Nigerians are wiser and can see where the Renewed Hope Agenda is leading the nation.
“The Muslim-Muslim ticket is not evil. It is a political strategy to win elections and deliver good governance, as clearly amplified in the ongoing trajectory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and Vice President Sen. Kashim Shettima, humility personified,” the statement added.
“The opposition should stop weeping. The future is bright under Tinubu. With our Esther, Sen. Oluremi Bola Tinubu, this nation will not fail,” CNNPF concluded.