Politics is dirty. That is why many decent people will tell you they will rather not get involved with it but observe life from a distance. But the reasoning now is, the longer we leave politics to the rogues the more the people get robbed of accountable leaders, the more charlatans, dressed in robes of piety, strip the people of worthy leadership.
The way I see it, whether its Muslim-Muslim or Christian- Christian or Trado-Muslim, nothing will change in Nigeria unless we consciously begin to elect leaders on their sterling track records and this should be devoid of religion, sex or region!
We have a Muslim –Christian currently, what changed in the last 7 years?
Did it stop the naira from tumbling from N150 to the dollar to N500 plus as we currently have?
Did it stop the removal of staples like rice, bread and garri off the table of millions of Nigerians?
Did it stop the violence and increase of terrorism in the nation, especially in the Muslim north?
Recall the invasion of NDA, School children kidnappings mostly up north; Niger, Kaduna, and Katsina to mention just a few?
The last few years have been the most unsafe for everyday Nigerians in the history of this nation, a train was bombed and passengers stolen; hundreds of school children and university undergrads snatched from their halls of residence and the road for ransom… and yet, it is a Muslim-Christian ticket!
So why is Muslim-Christian so important?
Well you could argue that most of the juicy political posts were given the north and you will be right but what else happened? Is the north today thriving from all of the political appointments it garnered against the Christian south?
Is the north safer than the south with all their political appointments?
Are northerners living large and off the proceeds from their sons and daughters who hold high positions in government as against the south?
Are southerners rushing up north to invest, do business and benefit from the norths’ largess?
The answer is no.
This present government is a Muslim-Christian one and yet, the country is no better for it; at least, not to the everyday Nigerian. Only the people who know the people at the top and their close family members are beneficiaries, not the average Joe and Josephine on the streets!
And when you weigh it against the fact that in the last 60 years of this nation, northern Muslims have held the highest positions for the longest time and yet, their people are impoverished; the north also have the highest number of out of school children in the nation, over three million as at late 2021. The figures are higher today because of course, we know several schools up north have been shut down, thanks to Boko Haram!
Speaking of that terror group, you do know that Boko Haram has wiped off sizeable portions of the northern population? Farmers and pastors, imams and Almajiris are fleeing from Boko Haram;
Has the Muslim in the same ticket helped his Muslim brothers and sisters as they flee from terrorists attacks? The question to ask is, who Muslim- Christian hep?
To further buttress this point, only yesterday, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Presidential candidate for PDP said on Arise TV interview that 90% of the northern are not on social media!
Already they are knocking him online because such a statement only validates the fact that the north is educationally and socially behind the rest of the nation. So who muslim-muslim go hep?
Because we’ve always made this an issue in our politics and for good reason, too, don’t get me wrong
But to bring this home; I think we have ignored the weightier matter and that is ensuring the Igbos are also given a change to rule this nation. The Yorubas got their chance when Chief MKO Abiola was robbed of his victory and killed. This is what led to Rtd General Olusegun Obasanjo’s emergence as candidate and eventual winner in the 1999 presidential election in Nigeria!
What will it cost us as a nation that truly wants to move forward in 2023 to push and a credible Igbo candidate?
Why did the two major political parties shun the Igbos? They are not good as presidents?
Isn’t what is good for the goose, good for the gander?
If we truly know what we ought to be clamoring against, it isn’t the fact that Bola Tinubu is fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket because your vote can change that.
What may affect your vote is the candidate being pushed forward by these parties; we should be agitating for men/women of character, men of dignity, men who won’t dress thugs in borrowed robes, men who’s antecedents, past and present show their commitment to serve with heart and might and diligence. If we continue to make petty agitations, then we will continue to be robbed by men in robes of piety.