“It is very irresponsible of Tinubu to take his political survival over the stability and peace of Nigeria,” Ishaku Abbo, the senator representing Adamawa North, blasted APC presidential candidate Bola Tinubu for picking a Muslim as his running mate. 

Mr Abbo has since resigned his membership of a Tinubu support group over the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC. The senator confirmed this to Peoples Gazette by telephone Monday morning.

“For Tinubu now to be given the ticket and turn around to do what he couldn’t achieve in 2015 despite opposition from Catholics and other Christian leaders is extremely irresponsible,” the federal legislator added. 

He accused Mr Tinubu of refusing to take a cue from the opposition against his vice-presidential ambition and how President Muhammadu Buhari opted for a Christian running mate in 2015.

“Buhari fought a civil war and understands the consequences of a divided nation. When Tinubu wanted to be VP in 2015, Buhari said no because he understood the importance of unity,” explained Mr Abbo.

Mr Tinubu, on Sunday, announced Kashim Shettima, a serving senator representing Borno central and ex-Borno governor, as APC vice-presidential candidate. 

Mr Abbo explained how he met with a support group in Abuja in search of a running mate for Mr Tinubu. The group concluded that Mr Tinubu should not pick a Muslim as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election, he told The Gazette. 

“We sat down in Abuja and strategised, and we concluded that he should not take a Muslim as running mate. He (Tinubu) threw away the report. My conscience will not allow me to campaign for Tinubu. I am a member of CAN; I cannot deny CAN. I remain in APC. But I will take the survival of my country first over political considerations,” said Mr Abbo.

He added, “We cannot work for such a man. I will oppose (a) Christian-Christian ticket because I am invested in the stability of this country. A Christian-Christian ticket will be insensitive to Muslims of this country. The country is evenly divided among Muslims and Christians. So any government that is Muslim-Muslim will be illegitimate and will never gain the respect of Christians.”

Meanwhile, Bola Tinubu Campaign Headquarters spokesman Bayo Onanuga did not immediately respond to a request seeking his comments on Mr Abbo’s statement.