The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Sunday in Kano, appealed to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to eschew religious sentiment and vote for him in the 2023 presidential election, insisting that he is the best candidate to give Nigeria good leadership.
Tinubu spoke during an interface with CAN leadership in Kano led by the state chairman, Rev. Samuel Adeyemo.
The APC presidential candidate, who spoke at Africa House, Government House, Kano, reminded the Christian leaders that he is married to a pastor, insisting that his decision for a Muslim-Muslim ticket was never to spite Christians but to ensure that he used the best political formula to win elections.
“Thank you, everyone here. Thank you, CAN. Thank you, Pastors. I am a unique Muslim because I am married to a Pastor. When I am at home, she is the boss.
“I did not try to Islamise her. We have two bedside lamps, one with the Bible, and the other one with the Holy Quran. I have never seen the two Holy Books change their position or quarrel in the same bedroom.
“We have a country to build. Me, I have election to win. After winning my primary election, I didn’t look for the ballot papers to know whether those who voted were Muslim or Christian. All I needed was to win, and I won. When I won, I started dancing.
“If you polarise Nigeria along religious lines, we will have bad leadership. We should not fight along religious lines. The way you pray for forgiveness as a Christian is the same way I pray for forgiveness as a Muslim.
“I know you would not want to be an enemy to the winning team. I am a politician, I have a formula, and my formula is to win election without rigging. I am a minority Muslim from Yoruba, how will I go and chose one Emmanuel from Sokoto…,” Tinubu said.
In his remarks, Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, commended the Kano CAN leadership for honouring the invitation.
“I thank Kano CAN for honouring this invitation…we have our presidential candidate and former Governor of Lagos state. You know the development in Lagos. Seeing is believing. Therefore, his own is that he is tested, and he can be trusted. His running-mate developed Borno State and the person he handed over to is doing well.
“I am happy that you appreciate our candidate. I am happy that you have endorsed our candidate. So, we thank you for endorsing our candidate.”
In his address, Rev. Adeyemo said they were at Government House at the invitation of Governor Ganduje, who he described as a detribalized leader.
According to him, Kano has remained peaceful under Governor Ganduje, who sees all residents as indigenes of the state.
He said, “CAN Kano has two key responsibilities—to be praying for peace in Kano and Nigeria. We also know that the APC presidential candidate will be doing a lot of travels for his campaign, we are praying for his safety.
“We also urge Christians in the state to exercise their civic responsibility during the elections.”
