The All Progressive Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has stated that the Plateau State Commissioner of Lands, Survey, and Town Planning, Mr. Yakubu Dati, believes that the Governor of Plateau State, Hon. Simon Lalong, is the best candidate to be chosen among Christian aspirants.
In a statement he gave to reporters on Tuesday, Dati noted that Lalong has been recognised as a great leader who can be trusted with more responsibility because of the backing he has received from the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) and his record of fostering peaceful coexistence in the nation.
Read Also: DSS Obtains INEC Security Officer in Rivers for Extortion
He claimed that the Tinubu/Lalong ticket would promote regional and religious harmony and guarantee equity and justice.
The chairmanship of the Northern Governors Forum and Lalong’s participation in the Progressive Governors’ Forum, according to Dati, will win the governors’ support. He also insisted that Lalong’s candidacy will win Christian votes from both the north and the south of Nigeria.
Announcing that the Peter Obi/Labour Party frenzy will be halted by a Tinubu/Lalong ticket, Dati added, “Buhari demonstrated those virtues when he insisted on a Muslim/Christian ticket in 2015.
Allowing a Muslim/Christian ticket in 2023 will show Tinubu’s statesmanship.
This would follow a pattern from our country’s recent history, where Chief Olusegun Obasanjo partnered with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Umaru Yar’Adua with Goodluck Jonathan, Jonathan with Nnamadi Sambo, and now Buhari with Osinbajo, who handled the regional and religious balancing.
Read Also: EFCC Probes APC House Of Reps Candidate For Multimillion Naira Alleged Fraud
Adding the values of equity, justice, and fairness to the winning formula Asiwaju brought to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in 2015, Lalong will do so with the support of President Muhammadu Buhari, according to Dati.
He continued, “Lalong is a Catholic and a KSGG (Knight of Saint Gregory the Great), bestowed upon him by the Pope. There is a possibility that pairing Tinubu with Lalong will resonate with the largely Catholic South East and probably make the ticket more appealing to those who are demanding fairness.”
Although Dati praised Tinubu’s ascension to the position of APC candidate, she noted that “Being a Muslim has thrown up another challenge to the APC and this has to do with the choice of a running mate for Tinubu and the need for religious balancing to give all a sense of belonging.”
