The All Progressives Congress (APC) has launched a fierce counter-attack against former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, for his claims that the President Bola Tinubu's Muslim-Muslim ticket is responsible for the killings of Christians in Nigeria. The party has attributed Lawal's statements to personal bitterness over a failed political ambition.
The controversy erupted after Lawal, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, directly linked the administration's religious composition to the insecurity in the country. He argued that the ticket sent a negative signal that has emboldened attackers.
“The government, by deliberate actions, seems to encourage them. I tell you, I refer to this Muslim-Muslim ticket, that is the fundamental basis for they have justification to continue,” Lawal stated. “If the government so decides that we have no regard for Christians in Nigeria, that we can run our government as Muslims, whether they like it or not, they can go to hell.”
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He also cited the proposed 'Halal economy' as further evidence of an Islamisation agenda.
However, the APC has vehemently dismissed these allegations. Speaking in an interview with The PUNCH, the party's National Vice Chairman (South-East), Dr. Ijeoma Arodiogbu, described Lawal’s position as divisive and personally motivated.
“For Babachir Lawal to start blaming the Muslim-Muslim ticket or Tinubu’s choice of vice president for the killings in Nigeria is quite unfortunate. But it is expected of a man of his kind,” Arodiogbu said. “He has developed a mindset of ‘If I can’t get it, let the house scatter.’ It is the same trajectory of a grumbling loser.”
Arodiogbu, who is a Christian, acknowledged initial concerns about the same-faith ticket but insisted those fears have not materialized. He pointed to Tinubu's inclusive appointments and the fact that the President's wife is a Christian pastor as evidence of balance.
“The president is a man whose wife is a pastor of a church despite being a Muslim. That shows his level of reasoning, balancing, and consideration,” the APC chieftain stated.
He concluded that Lawal’s outbursts stem from frustration after his bid to become Tinubu's running mate failed. “It is all frustration over his failed ambition... His views are always about himself. Are there killings in Nigeria? Yes. Christians are being killed just like Muslims,” Arodiogbu asserted, separating the issue of nationwide insecurity from the religious background of the nation's leaders.
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