El-Rufai to Nigerians: Take religion out of governance

Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has debunked the reports that he was being considered as the running mate of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, describing it as a “speculation”.

Governor El-Rufai said Tinubu would choose his running mate for the 2023 presidential election, adding that the best the party can do for the presidential candidate is to give him space, time and advise him to make to make the right choice.

The governor, however, said Nigerians should be more concerned about good governance and not religion in the selection of the ruling party’s vice presidential candidate.

He said these during an interview on Channels Television’s programme, ‘Politics Today’, on Friday.

There are concerns that Tinubu, who is a Muslim, might pick his running mate for the 2023 general election from North where Muslims are majority, leading to a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the polls.

Speaking on his rumoured selection as Tinubu’s running mate, Governor El-Rufai said: “This is just speculation; I’m not involved in endless speculation.

“The candidate will choose his running mate and evaluate and the best we can do is to give him space, time and advise him and guide him to make the right choice.”

Asked on the proposed Muslim-Muslim ticket by the APC, the governor said Nigerians should take religion out of governance be concerned about capacity and competence.

He stated: “I don’t look people from Muslim-Muslim ticket. Some of my closest friends are Christians.

“It was Pastor Tunde Bakre that took me to CPC, not President Buhari; so I’m very close to Pastor Bakare, I’m close to many Christians.

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“I don’t think that system of governance has to do with religion. I think we should look for the best person for the job, the person that will get the job done.

“In my state, I picked a very qualified and competent woman as my running mate in the 2019 election, but just because she happens to be a Muslim, people were calling it Muslim-Muslim ticket and that we will lose but we won the election.

“This fixation of Nigerians with religion instead of competence and capacity is quite sad and pathetic.

“I urge the media to take religion out of governance and let’s look for capacity and competence. I don’t think we should be looking at religion.

“We want to develop this country; when I get to the hospital, I don’t ask the religion of the doctors, I just want to get well.

“The way Nigerians are trying to reject religion in politics and governance is sad and pathetic and it will not take us anywhere.

“Nigeria is at crossroads. We face very serious danger in security, economy, and global issues are affecting us but what people are concerned with is religion and this is so sad,” Governor El-Rufai stated.

The Star