By Lanre Oloyede
There’s rumble in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, as the choice of its presidential flagbearer to settle for a Muslim-Muslim ticket has began to claim casualties for the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.
APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had on Sunday announced former Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, a Muslim from the North-East as his running mate.
Asiwaju made the announcement while speaking with journalists in Daura, Katsina State, after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
This move, apparently, did not go down well with some members of the party some of whom have shown their displeasure by resigning their membership of the party.
Few hours after the announcement, a chieftain of APC and legal practitioner, Daniel Bwala, announced the resignation of his membership of the party over its choice of a Muslim-Muslim Presidential ticket for the 2023 general elections.
Bwala made the announcement on Sunday night amid wide condemnation and rejection that trailed the party’s announcement of the former governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima, as the running mate of the APC’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.
The vocal legal practitioner took to his Twitter page to say, “Tonight, I officially resigned my membership of @OfficialAPCNg on principles and conviction that I hold so dear. At this time of our national existence, our efforts and energy should gravitate towards uniting our people.”
Also, a member of Tinubu Support Group from Adamawa State, Senator Elisha Abbo, has expressed his disgust with Tinubu’s choice of Shettima describing it as irresponsible.
Mr Abbo, who has since resigned his membership of the Tinubu support group over the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC said, “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.
“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.”
Similarly, some strong supporters and allies of the former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi have started dumping the APC in Rivers State.
This development comes just a few days after he appealed to his supporters not to be angry but to cast their votes for the APC in the 2023 elections.
According to report, some of Amaechi’s loyalists who have dumped the APC in the last one week include; Dawari George, Marvin Yobana, Nkemka Amadi and Robinson Elechi.
His former Commissioner for Information and Communications, Ibim Semenitari is the latest to join the trend.
Semenitari, a former acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) like others before her, however, didn’t reveal the next political party they’ll be pitching their tents with.
Semenitari in her resignation letter wrote: “I write to resign my membership of APC with effect from today.
“I appreciate the friendship, camaraderie and opportunities that this platform has provided me to serve my state, region and country even as I wish the party well.”
