Ladoja urged Nigerians to pray fervently that the APC presidential candidate isn’t given the MKO Abiola treatment.
Former Oyo State Governor, Rasheed Ladoja, has asked Nigerians to continue praying for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, not to be served the same treatment meted out to the late Moshood Kolawole Olawale (MKO) Abiola.
Abiola, who floated a Muslim-Muslim ticket, was the self-acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential election conducted by the Military government headed by General Ibrahim Babangida.
The election, dubbed as the freest and fairest in the history of Nigeria, was truncated after the then electoral commission headed by Humphrey Nwosu stopped the votes count with Abiola in a wide margin lead after the results announced.
MKO Abiola would later proclaimed himself as Nigeria’s President in 1994, a move that got him arrested and slammed in jail by the Military junta under General Sani Abacha.
Abiola died in prison in 1998 without getting to the Presidential Villa.
Speaking shortly after this year’s Ed-el-Kabir prayers at his Ibadan country home in Bodija, Ladoja said the sentiment on Muslim-Muslim ticket should not be an impediment for electing leaders, Daily Trust reports.
Recall that Tinubu has been urged by some northern stakeholders to replicate Abiola’s act by fielding a fellow Muslim on his ticket for 2023 presidential election.
Reacting to this possibility, the former governor said, “There are many factors involved in electing President. Whoever wants to be president and those working for him have to work very hard. In fact, they will need more prayers as they are consulting. With all these efforts, God has the final say on who becomes president. Chief MKO Abiola who was a Muslim was elected along with his vice, a Muslim.
“We only pray that if Tinubu wins, it would not turn out like that of late MKO Chief Abiola. I don’t see anything wrong in Muslim-Muslim ticket because I don’t intervene in religious matters. Muslim and Christians are from the same father. Some people are following Ismal while some are following Isaac which are siblings. So, what is now my own to be fighting for one among them? Even I don’t have time to fight with traditionalists.
“It is only God that knows His servants, so why must we fight over religion? All religion including traditional religion preach love and good character. It is only politicians that usually cause crisis with religion. If not for the crisis of killing in some part of the country, we don’t usually think about the kind of religion someone is practising. But when gunmen started attacking churches and kidnapping clerics in Christendom, people started doubting their fellow brothers who belongs to another religion. They are the cause of all these things. But God will intervene and make Nigeria peaceful again,” Ladoja said.
Meanwhile, Pulse had earlier reported that Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, said Tinubu had agreed to pick a Muslim as his running mate in the general election slated for February, 2023.
While making his remarks at a gathering of about 100 clerics at the state Government House as part of activities to mark Eid El Kabir, Ganduje said Tinubu has been advised to pick a Muslim running mate.
He sadi, “We have advised him to pick a Muslim deputy and he has agreed. A Muslim-Muslim ticket is a reality. It is not something new in Nigeria.”
The Kano governor therefore asked the Muslim clerics to pray for Tinubu so that his 2023 presidential ambition can become a reality.
Pulse
