A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Enugu State, Hon. Elias Ugonabo Igwe, has accused the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of jeopardizing the chances of candidates of the party in the South East, over his choice of a Muslim as his running mate.
Igwe stated that the party’s Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket will significantly affect the chances of the party’s candidates in the South East in the 2023 general elections.
Speaking to newsmen in Enugu, the former lawmaker said the APC presidential Muslim /Muslim ticket will not be acceptable to voters in the region and its consequence will impact negatively on the aspiration of APC candidates.
Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, a Muslim, had selected former Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, another Muslim, as his running mate.
The Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket had attracted widespread condemnation from the vast Christian community in the country, especially in the South East, which accused the party of not taking cognizance of the secularity of the nation.
Igwe said Tinubu’s choice of another Muslim as his running mate, is not in the overall interest of the party, but targeted at swaying votes for the APC from only Muslims across the country to the detriment of Christians
He said “Tinubu’s choice of another Muslim, as running mate will affect the electoral chances of the party particularly candidates on the party’s platform seeking for various elective offices in the South East where majority of voters are Christians.
“It is APC candidates in the South East that will be punished by Tinubu’s action.
“Asiwaju’s choice of another Muslim as running mate was a killer punch for the APC in the South East. Our candidates at all levels are now in dilemma and it will be a miracle if they succeed at the polls.
“The perception rating of the APC in the South East has further dwindled because of the Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket. There is massive revolt against the party since they opted for a same faith ticket.
Igwe said though voters are encouraged to vote for candidates based on capacity and ability to perform irrespective of party affiliation of the candidates, he noted that “voters lack such patience to peruse the candidates on an election day”
“Voters lack such patience during elections. With the Peter Obi wave blowing across the region and the nation, it will be difficult to tell voters to begin to separate candidates and their political parties on election day” he submitted.
