The Middle-Belt Congress (MBC) has called for the resignation of the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Kashim Shettima.
Speaking at a news briefing in Abuja yesterday, the leader of the group Mr. Bilal Abdullahi insisted that it was paramount that Shettima steps down to avoid the impending electoral misfortune in 2023, Naija News reports.
Abdullahi insisted that Shettima’s actions of late have not portrayed him as a religious tolerant individual.
He insisted that Shettima ought to have resigned considering that the APC is now in a state of crisis due to the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
He said: “The Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC, comes with its attendant political baggage. If the APC, as a party, is desirous of making any meaningful impact in the 2023 presidential elections, it behooves on the party to retrace its steps in the composition of its presidential ticket.
“We are constrained to believe that the self-confession of Senator Kashim Shettima towards the Christian community might be a ruse, as his actions of late do not indicate that of a religious tolerant individual.
“It remains a statement that since the nomination of Senator Kashim Shettima, the APC evolved into a riotous organization with various stakeholders in abhorrence for the choice of a Northern Muslim at the detriment of credible and capable Northern Christians.”
Speaking further, the group insisted that Shettima’s decision to hold on to the vice presidential ticket despite the consequence of such a move does not portray him as an individual with unquestionable morals
“The incomprehensible fact remains that the leadership of the APC is aware of the threats posed to its electoral success with the Muslim-Muslim Ticket, yet, it has remained adamant about the uproar its choice of Muslim-Muslim ticket has elicited in the polity.
“We appeal to Shettima to act with honour by resigning his nomination as the vice presidential candidate of the APC in the interest of peace and tranquillity and to salvage whatever is left of the APC in the buildup to the 2023 presidential elections.
“Senator Kashim Shettima must, in good conscience, admit that his nomination has indeed brought about ethnic and religious tension in the country, which remains unacceptable in this critical period of our existence where there are concerted efforts at unifying the country along ethnic and religious lines.
“The fact that a Muslim-Muslim ticket cannot unite the country is enough for Senator Kashim Shettima to reconsider his vice presidential candidature. As a former governor who witnessed one of the bloodiest conflicts in Nigeria, he should know better about the cost of conflict in the society.
“The Middle Belt Congress strongly advises Senator Kashim Shettima to look at the presidential ticket of other political parties to understand that he stands to go in history as that individual whose blind pursuit of power undermined the Christian community in Nigeria.
“It remains inexcusable, and the Middle Belt Congress is tempted to believe that Senator Kashim Shettima might have forced himself on the APC Presidential candidate without recourse to the far-reaching implication such a move would have on the polity,” he said.
This article was originally published on Naija News
