Festus Keyamo, the spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, has cautioned the Christian Association of Nigeria and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria to cease meddling in the affairs of the ruling party.
Keyamo added that because the two main Christian organisations are not APC members, they are unable to select Bola Tinubu, the party’s presidential candidate, as their running mate.
Is PFN an APC member? Are they APC members, or CAN? Our party makes the choice of its vice presidential nominee on an internal party basis. Therefore, these outside entities are a part of our party. On Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme last night, he stated, “They cannot stay outside and dictate to us. If they wanted to participate in the decision-making process, they may come and join the political party.
When Kashim Shettima, a former governor of Borno State, was selected as Tinubu’s running mate for the 2023 presidential election, CAN and PFN vehemently criticised the APC.
The ruling party had to choose a Christian running mate in addition to Tinubu, who identifies as a Muslim, after the religious organisations insisted that it should abandon the concept of a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
While the PFN condemned the Forum, some Pentecostal Bishops Forum of Northern Nigeria members met with Tinubu on Friday in what looked to be a covert endorsement of the APC presidential candidate amid the same religious dispute.
Keyamo stated last night on Sunday Politics that the PFN AND CAN have options and shouldn’t be stuck on the APC.
‘The PFN are not party members. That day, they should cast their ballots.
They shouldn’t have come to publicly criticise our party’s choice. Keyamo stated that pastors’ duties or purposes are to guide people to heaven rather than the (presidential) residence.
In the north, he said, ‘religion is irrelevant; people just want to cast their ballots for the candidates they support.’
Read Also: What I’ve Been Sacrificing For Nigeria As Minister – Keyamo Boasts
‘We have northern Christians who are passionate about our party who are genuinely supporting the party, who are part of the campaign council as I speak,’ Keyamo remarked in reference to the APC’s recent announcement of its list of the 422-man presidential campaign council.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, and former Minister of State for Education Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba were not on the list, which also included serving governors and former ministers.
Dogara and Lawal vehemently opposed Tinubu’s choice of a Muslim like himself as running mate, whereas Osinbajo and Nwajiuba had competed in the presidential primaries of the ruling party with Tinubu, who ultimately won.
Africa Today News, New York