Former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole said those criticizing his party’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket are “Christians by mouth and devils by heart”.
Adams Oshiomhole Speaks On Muslim-Muslim Ticket
KanyiDaily recalls that APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu had picked his fellow Muslim, Kashim Shettima, a former Borno State Governor, as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.
The development elicited outrage from key stakeholders, particularly the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and several Christians within the party.
APC bigwigs like Babachir Lawal and Yakubu Dogara have also kicked against the choice while describing it as a slight on northern Christians.
Reacting to the backlash during a chat with Arise TV on Wednesday, Oshiomhole said Nigerians must distinguish between Christian by mouth and devil by heart.
He said that some of the critics are people who are standing trial for corruption, adding that Nigerians must be wary of those trying to cause a religious war in the country.
The former APC chairman added that Tinubu has shown religious tolerance by being married to a “Christian wife for about 40 years”.
He said, “This country has survived religious wars. Even people who are on record of being prosecuted for misappropriating money that a Muslim governor appropriated in favour of Christian children who were displaced. They are now the new voice of Christianity.
“So we must distinguish between Christian by mouth and devil by heart who wants to see Nigeria engulfed in a war that nobody can win. Asiwaju [Tinubu] has a Christian wife of about 40 years and is happily married. Is that not an example of what the nation should be?”
KanyiDaily recalls that Wole Soyinka had also reacted to the outcry on the Muslim-Muslim ticket, saying the uproar was a reflection of how the country has been fractured along religious lines.