Abati: I thought I could rattle Tinubu during media chat — but he knows what he’s doing

By Miftaudeen Raji

Foremost Islamic human rights group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has urged Muslim aspirants vying for the position of the President of the 10th Senate to withdraw from the race, in order to allow for a Southern Christian.

The Executive Director, MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, made this appeal in a statement made available to Vanguard on Thursday.

MURIC noted that it wants the Senate presidency to go to a Christian from the South, because Nigeria needs the cooperation of both Muslims and Christians for collaboration that can engender peace and development.

The group therefore, called on all Muslims vying for the post to withdraw from the Senate Presidential race.

The statement reads, “As the clock ticks away for the 29th May inauguration date of the Bola Tinubu administration, elected lawmakers and politicians have intensified the lobby game. We have seen how the different geo-political zones as well as individual politicians and stakeholders have demanded key positions in the National Assembly.

“Chief among those positions is the Senate presidency as it is the Number 3 position in the country after the president and vice president. As a major stakeholder in the affairs of Nigeria, we have followed with keen interest the imbroglio which greeted the Muslim-Muslim ticket and how it ended in Nigeria having a Muslim President-Elect and a Muslim Vice President-Elect.

“In view of this outcome and considering the multi-religious character of our dear country, Nigeria, it is our considered opinion that the post of senate president should go to a Southern Christian. Nigeria needs the cooperation of both Muslims and Christians because only such collaboration can engender peace and development.

“Although we are a Muslim group, we believe very strongly that Muslims should not take all the top posts despite being the undisputed majority group in the country. Muslims must be ready to share power with their Christian compatriots. Politics is a game of give and take and Nigerian Muslims must play it right.

“We must all be ready to demonstrate willingness to work together as a people in spite of our religious differences. Afterall there is no Muslim electricity supply, no Christian roads, no Muslim public transport system and no Christian naira. Our problems are identical and whatever affects our country affects both Muslims and Christians together.

“A good example is COVID-19. Hunger knows no Muslim and malaria knows no Christian. Poverty is common among the adherents of both faith. Let us therefore share what belongs to all with love and find solutions to our common problems together.

“MURIC therefore calls on all Muslim candidates vying for the position of senate president to withdraw in order to allow Christian candidates from the South to have a free hand in the competition (preferably the South South because the South East has occupied the post on several occasions).

“In addition, MURIC tips any suitable candidate from the North West for the post of deputy senate president in view of the fact that the zone gave the largest number of votes to the party and the candidate that won the election.”