A Chieftain of the Northern Elders Forum, Bitrus Dangiwa, has said that blocking the Vice Presidential ambition of Senator Bola Tinubu, by Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and others, was an agenda of most Northerners.
While he described the move as not only ‘selfish’, he added that it would have worked against the All Progressives Congress, APC, if it was not blocked.
Dangiwa, a former Youth President, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in the 19 Northern States, and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, disclosed this when he spoke in an interview with Newsmen, in Kaduna, on Saturday.
He further said that he was among those who supported the move to vehemently oppose Tinubu, to becoming the then President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate.
This disclosure is coming following claims in a new book: “Against the Run of Play”, by Olusegun Adeniyi, where Tinubu was reported to have said that his move to become President Buhari’s running mate, was prevented by Saraki, and the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, among several others.
However, Dangiwa applauded the role played by not only Saraki, but many Northern Politicians, at ensuring that the Muslim-Muslim ticket as canvassed by Tinubu, did not work. He further argued that had that move succeeded, that a good number of Nigerians who are Christians, would have been mistreated.
He said: “Tinubu’s thought of becoming (Nigeria’s) Vice President to a Muslim Presidential candidate, was not only self-centred or selfish, but it would have worked against the APC. We knew Tinubu’s move for a very long time – most Northerners contributed to Saraki’s choice of working against a Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2015 poll.
“So, Saraki’s decision not to have a Muslim-Muslim ticket, was in the best interest of the socio-political development of the nation. There are still good Muslims and good Christians who mean well for this country, and Saraki is one of such good examples”, Dangiwa said.
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