A former Member representing Jos East/South in the National Assembly, Hon. Bitrus Kaze has faulted the same faith ticket presented in the All Progressives Congress, APC presidential ticket, saying apart from being improper, such arrangement shortchanged the Christian community and must not be supported.
Kaze equally frowned at the choice of another Northern Muslim by the People’s Democratic Party as its Presidential candidate stressing, there is no consideration in that for the people of other faiths and zones.
He however called for the support of the Labour Party Presidential candidate, Peter Obi because that is justice, it carries every section of the country along.
Speaking in Jos, the former lawmaker canvassed support for Peter Obi and stated that Nigerians should support the “Obi movement,” for the sake of justice, inclusiveness and good governance.
His words, “… What in the first place is making people talk about Muslim/Muslim or Christian/Christian ticket? That trend of argument has become prominent because it is in the subconscious minds of Nigerians that if the President is Christian, naturally, the Vice would be Muslim, and vice versa. But we have become so arrogant to the extent that we are pretending that it doesn’t matter.
“Is it proper in a country like ours with several tribes and religions, for a Muslim to be a President for eight years and then you bring up another Muslim, from the North, West, South or East to continue as a President in another eight years? As a Christian, I feel short changed and I will not yield to that because it is not fair.
“The Muslim/Muslim ticket happened over 30 years ago when I was elected a councilor.
Christians tolerated; canvassed votes for Abiola not withstanding that his Vice was a Muslim. I want to ask you; will there ever be a time in this country that a Christian will run as a President and pick another Christian as a running mate and then we have peace?”
He added, “The mistake the PDP has done is not the issue of Okowa or Wike, it is the issue of the Presidency, Atiku or anybody from the North ought not to be our candidate. I won’t work for Atiku because it offends our social, religious and even economic sensibilities that somebody from the Northwest has been a President for eight years and you expect another person from the Northeast and the same religion as the former to be there for another eight years.
“It will be a betrayal of trust for me to commit myself to such a project. As a person, I am at home with Peter Obi and this is what I will suggest to our people, look forward to giving Peter Obi your votes because that is justice, it will carry every section of the country along.
“In 2019, I was firmly with Atiku because of Obi, now Obi was forced to leave. If the PDP is ready to take the ticket from the North and give anybody from the South even if it is a dog, I will support it. But to the extent that the PDP has infringed its own constitution, how will I be faithful to the PDP constitution.
“You can be a diehard PDP or APC, Peter Obi’s movement is raging everywhere, he stands out simply because Nigerians feel that both the PDP and the APC on the Presidential tickets disappointed Nigerians.
“The constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria provides that this country must be administered in a manner that commands national loyalty, the constitution of our party is that there shall be zoning. If I did not support the Plateau PDP gubernatorial candidate on the basis of zoning in 2015, I will be unfair to the late GNS to support Atiku in 2023.