Victor Ezeja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Christians of the northern bloc are yet to make public their position on endorsing a presidential candidate for the 2023 election, says Former House of Representatives Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara.
Dogara was reacting to a statement credited to former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, released on Thursday, November 24, 2022, which indicated that the northern APC Christian group has declared support for the Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi.
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The said statement signed by Lawal, titled, “Why we have chosen to endorse the Obi/Datti ticket”, gave reasons the group decided to ditch the APC; one of which is the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the party for the 2023 presidential election.
The ex-SGF while citing how insecurity and other socio-economic problems have ravaged the north, stated that based on the past antecedents of the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, they appear incapable of uniting the country, and meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the citizens no matter their ethnic or religious affiliation.
Reacting to that, Dogara said the APC northern Christian group is yet to make its position on the matter public and that the position expressed in the statement was solely that of Lawal.
The former House of representative speaker explained that the group had concluded necessary consultations and would make their position public at an inter-faith event to be held very soon.
Other signatories to the statement include HE, Simon Achuba, Hon. Albert Atiwurcha, Prof Doknan Sheni, Mela A. Nunge, SAN, Gen Ishaya Bauka Rtd, Prof. Ibrahim Haruna, and Mrs Leah Olusiyi.
The statement reads: “We want to draw the attention of the general public to the recent position canvassed by our Chairman, Engr B D Lawal as the position of our Group.
“We wish to state that necessary consultations have been concluded, and based on manifestly unassailable empirical data, the group is poised to adopt a position that will be made known to the public at an interfaith event to be held very soon.
“Suffice to say that no one in the group including the Chairman has been mandated to speak to the public about our position at this material time. Based on our modus Operandi, our position was meant to be presented to the general public at the event above referred to. That has not changed.
“Consequently, the decision to endorse a particular candidate and the statement credited to the chairman are solely the decision and views of the Chairman which he is absolutely entitled to but not that of the group.
“We hope this statement clears all the queries most of us have been inundated with on this all-important subject matter.”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
