By John Owen Nwachukwu Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Sunday, asked the All Progressives Congress presidenti...
By John Owen Nwachukwu
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on
Sunday, asked the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola
Tinubu, to stop mulling the possibility of a Muslim as his vice-presidential
candidate.
HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a
statement, stressed that the emergence of a Muslim-Muslim ticket presidency
will further heighten the aggression against Christians by bandits and
terrorists who claim allegiance to Islam.
The group said the alleged move by the APC is
unconstitutional and violates Section 14 (3) and (4) and Section 318 of the
1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which specifically states
that the principle of federal character should be reflected in the composition
of the government and that no group, religious or ethnic, should dominate the
other.
Reports making the rounds suggest that Tinubu may in the
next few days name either Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State or Senator
Kashim Shettima, as his running mate to beat the July 15 deadline by the
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The report said about 13 Muslim northern governors are
pressuring Tinubu to choose them because they backed his candidacy during the
fiercely-contested APC primary.
Reacting, however, HURIWA’s Onwubiko said, “It is crucial to
warn APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, for the umpteenth time to stop
his sinister plot to nominate a Muslim running mate. The nomination will
endanger national unity and will divide Nigeria irretrievably. If Tinubu goes
on with a Muslim running mate, the APC should just forget about Nigeria because
religious war will break out and Nigeria’s case will be worse than Somalia’s.
“With President Muhammadu Buhari, a Muslim from Katsina
State, who is obviously not concerned about the terrorist attacks on
Christians, what will happen when Nigeria has Muslim-Muslim Presidency? It
means an Islamic state would be declared and war will kick-off!
“HURIWA urges Nigerians to reject the APC or any party that
wants to foist same religion ticket on a heterogeneous and multi-religious
people like Nigerians. What happens to a Muslim-Christian ticket? What happens
to a Christian-Muslim ticket? If a Christian-Christian ticket can’t work, then,
a Muslim-Muslim ticket should never work! Nigerians should reject such parties
with their Permanent Voter Cards!
“Section 38 of the 1999 constitution recognizes all
religions while Section 318 and Section 14 (3) and (4) succinctly back the
principle of federal character and resist the domination of a group in the
composition of the government.
”For instance, Section 318 states: “federal character of
Nigeria” refers to the distinctive desire of the peoples of Nigeria to promote
national unity, foster national loyalty and give every citizen of Nigeria a
sense of belonging to the nation as expressed in section 14 (3) and (4) of this
constitution;
“Section 14 (3) and (4) states: The composition of the
Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its
affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal
character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to
command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance
of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in
that Government or in any of its agencies.
“(4) The composition of the Government of a State, a local
government council, or any of the agencies of such Government or council, and
the conduct of the affairs of the Government or council or such agencies shall
be carried out in such manner as to recognise the diversity of the people
within its area of authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and
loyalty among all the people of the Federation.”
HURIWA also warned the Yakubu Mahmoud- led Independent
National Electoral Commission not to play with fire by pandering to the whims
and caprices of the ruling party but to conduct transparent, free, fair
elections or else be prepared for war because the 2023 poll is the determinant
factor if Nigeria will exist or burn to ashes and any attempt to manipulate the
poll to favour the APC will be actively resisted for a long time to come just
as the Rights group expressed doubts if Nigeria would survive any post-election
war.
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