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A former Speaker of the Home of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has stated he and Christian leaders will proceed to reject the choice of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to accept a Muslim/Muslim ticket.
He stated this throughout an APC Christian Leaders Summit in Abuja on Friday.
Mr Dogara, a member of the APC, is certainly one of many Nigerians who’ve kicked in opposition to the ticket.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the social gathering’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, introduced Borno senator, Kashim Shettima, as his working mate.
Mr Tinubu stated he picked Mr Shettima, a former Borno governor, due to his competence and observe document and never due to faith.
Some APC leaders comparable to Mr Dogara and ex-government secretary Babachir Lawal, nevertheless, rejected the transfer. That they had stated they can not, in good conscience, go to their constituencies to marketing campaign for the duo.
Mr Dogara, who was the visitor speaker at Friday’s occasion, stated Mr Tinubu has made a significant error in selecting a working mate.
The transfer, he stated, is a impolite awakening that occurred earlier than later.
The lawmaker stated the Muslim/Muslim ticket is a nasty determination as a result of it fuels inequality and breeds division which is counter-productive to the collective aspirations for a united and affluent nation.
He additionally knocked the APC leaders for his or her incapability to tell apart the Nigeria of 1993 from 2022.
Learn his full speech beneath:
SPEECH DELIVERED BY RT HON YAKUBU DOGARA, GUEST SPEAKER AT THE APC NORTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERS SUMMIT, ABUJA 2022 ON THE THEME, “RIGHTEOUSNESS EXALTS A NATION, BUT SIN IS A REPROACH TO ANY PEOPLE”, HELD ON FRIDAY 29TH JULY, 2022 AT THE NICON LUXURY HOTEL, ABUJA
Righteousness exalts a nation, however sin is a reproach to any folks. Proverbs 14:34
Protocols:
1. I take into account it nice honour and privilege to be invited because the Visitor Speaker at this all-important August summit of eminent spiritual leaders and top-notch politicians from throughout all of the States of the Federation. Allow me to start out by profusely thanking all these concerned in placing collectively this summit and all of the delegates who’ve sacrificed time and their busy schedule as a way to honour us with their presence, which we don’t evenly esteem. I perceive we’re right here to speak about our nation and the way political decisions could impression our religion and sure exacerbate the escalating parlous safety state of affairs and stymie our match in the direction of an inclusive, peaceable and affluent nation.
2. Not just a few have expressed considerations about nationwide outlook on all presidential tickets. Additionally, not just a few fear that the talk was turning into corrosive, and naturally, with this type of spitting of bilious views into the political wind, there was certain to be numerous nerves within the air.
3. Once we speak about a Muslim-Muslim ticket; God forbid that we needs to be understood to be objecting to Muslims or that we don’t need Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to be president. It isn’t about Senator Kashim Shettima both, however it’s about what is true and what’s unsuitable. It’s about justice, equity and fairness. It’s about Nigeria; it’s variety and the way it may be harnessed in an inclusive method for the higher good of all of us. Be that as it could, a few of us actually needed Asiwaju to be president as a result of he has sacrificed a lot for our Get together, the APC and for what he represents to so many individuals. So, our place can’t be in opposition to Muslims or Islam. That reality can’t be denied in any means.
4. However in relation to selecting between the love and admiration I’ve for a person and what’s proper and what I imagine represents my imaginative and prescient for Nigeria, my selection will clearly be for the latter. In spite of everything, my rise to the place of Speaker was by no means going to be doable with out the assist of some Muslim members who imagine that our variety should be mirrored in nationwide positions for the unity, peace and development of our pricey nation. What offers me extra hope in regards to the Nigeria mission is that there are numerous of our Muslim brothers and leaders who didn’t solely warn the APC, however have needed to name out the APC for adopting a Muslim-Muslim ticket which resulted into the Get together ructions we’re witnessing at present.
5. In 2015, after we had been known as “janjeweed social gathering”, my response was normally quite simple. I might then say that, HE John Oyegun was the chairman of my social gathering and my Vice-Presidential candidate was Pastor Yemi Osinbajo. We don’t get pleasure from that luxurious anymore because the President, Senate President, Speaker and his deputy; Senate and Home Leaders; Nationwide Chairman and the Deputy Nationwide Chairman; Presidential and the Vice-Presidential candidates are all Muslims, leaving the Christians with simply the place of VP Osibanjo and Deputy Senate President Omo-Agege at that degree in a Nation whose inhabitants is pretty break up between Muslims and Christians. Granted this state of affairs, can any God-fearing Muslim, Christian nay even the amoral and the atheist say that is honest, simply and righteous? Does this characterize the act of a simply God? That is the true context of objections from the Christian neighborhood not simply the Presidential ticket and the VP slot.
6. For me, it’s a impolite awakening and I’m so joyful it occurred earlier than later. The actual fact that they stated we must always not fear a couple of Muslim-Muslim ticket whereas a Muslim-Christian ticket gave them sleepless nights ought to make you are concerned the extra. To fret a couple of Muslim-Christian ticket whereas counselling others to not fear a couple of Muslim-Muslim ticket is the very textbook definition of cognitive dissonance and an try at gaslighting gullible Christians. Fact should be informed that anybody who just isn’t bringing us collectively is consciously tearing us aside.
7. Moreover, I don’t need to communicate to the argument that there isn’t a Christian competent sufficient to be Vice-President as a result of as everyone knows, that’s hogwash. It solely speaks to the necessity to intentionally exclude – whereas the necessity now could be for inclusion.
8. The opposite humorous argument within the media is the declare that with no northern Muslim on the ticket, elections can’t be gained. The implications of that argument are fairly unambiguous; Northern Muslims don’t vote for the South – even when the candidate is a Muslim like them – and, in fact, don’t vote for Christians. Nevertheless, nothing might be farther from the reality. For those who stretch this argument additional, it could result in questions comparable to, “if Muslims within the North don’t belief a southern Muslim for any motive(s), why ought to Christians in Nigeria belief a Muslim from the South and North?” These are the sorts of arguments I hate to interact in and which we should keep away from if we hope to not injure the well being of our Republic.
ALSO READ: 2023: How we’ll resist APC’ Muslim-Muslim ticket – Dogara, Babachir Lawal
9. Different unhelpful framings of the talk by the so-called pundits posit that Christians within the North are so small in quantity that their votes don’t rely. This unusual argument seeks to bolster the satanic agenda of dividing the church in Nigeria into North and South, and in addition ignores the actual fact and actuality that Nigeria is evenly break up on spiritual strains. These pundits are nonetheless not good sufficient to inform us what’s within the Muslim-Muslim ticket for southern Christians. The argument additionally ignores the truth that our official coverage excludes spiritual affiliation from census information. There’s due to this fact no scientific foundation for these weird conclusions. Allow us to now have a look at a mannequin for managing variety.
10. If the UK affords any instance, in 2005, the Tories had solely two non-White MPs. Simply inside over a decade, this has modified dramatically – all the best way to the highest ranks of the social gathering, together with the final three chancellors of the exchequer in a row: Javid, Sunak and Zahawi. As well as, Patel was house secretary; Javid – well being secretary; Kwasi – enterprise secretary and; Zahawi – schooling secretary.
11. Earlier than the pruning down of candidates for the Conservative Get together management to 2; six of the candidates had been members of ethnic minorities. Braverman, Sunak and Javid are the kids of immigrants whereas Chisti and Zahawi had been born exterior of the UK: in Pakistan and Iraq respectively; and our personal Kemi was partly introduced up in Lagos. All these occurred within the conservative UK the place all the inhabitants of minority ethnic group is a paltry 14% – because of David Cameron underneath whose management the Tories embraced the thought of “sponsored mobility” which was regarded as good for the nation as a result of it can assist forestall politics from polarizing alongside racial strains.
12. As we communicate, the UK could be on the verge of turning into the second main Western democracy to have a non-White chief in Sunak. Sunak who took the oath of workplace as Chancellor along with his hand on the Bhagavad Gita and positioned Diwali candles on the steps of his workplace on Quantity 11 Downing Road, shares the identical religion with simply 1.03 million Britons representing simply 1.6% of the U.Ok’s complete inhabitants. That is how democracies everywhere in the world are managing diversities inside their borders. Evaluate this to the US underneath Trump the place the Republican Get together was and continues to be at risk of turning into the social gathering of White grievances and White response in opposition to an more and more numerous America. Is it in useless that the Democrats needed to settle for a girl and a black VP in Kamala Harris? Ladies points are handled as minority points and what number of US inhabitants is black? Simply 13.4% in case you don’t know. In these two, now we have two fashions to borrow from; both to play the politics of exclusion which the Muslim-Muslim ticket represents or to make politics all-inclusive as a way to heal our nationwide fault strains and unite our disparate peoples for nation constructing. The latter should be the selection of each patriotic and smart Nigerian.
13. Why do I take into account the choice by the APC to accept a Muslim-Muslim ticket not a daring however dangerous determination? There are ample causes however I’ll spotlight just a few for need of time and area.
a) It’s a dangerous determination as a result of it fuels inequality. We should at all times keep in mind that the freedom we get pleasure from is as uncommon as it’s fragile. Inequality has a means of upsetting the stability as a result of common legislation of trigger and impact. All through historical past, each revolution has been waged to both consolidate or destroy inequality. Identical to all revolutions, they first appear unattainable after which inconceivable till they develop into inevitable.
i) While you consider revolutions, what involves your thoughts? Is it the photographs of savage invasions, crushing battlefield defeats, sacked cities and unfortunate rulers put to demise or a cascading sequence of minor, individually unimportant failures which are actually replete in our polity? You could not perceive the construction of revolutions till you hint the development of the Nazis from an unpopular fringe group to probably the most {powerful} political social gathering in Germany. Those that are dismissive of those that constructed battle producing constructions such because the Muslim-Muslim ticket in a pluralistic society at all times find yourself as enablers of revolution or violent modifications. That was how Nazism was dismissed as a fringe concept that can by no means make it into the mainstream of civilized Germany till it led to the demise of an estimated 40 million folks.
b) It’s a dangerous determination as a result of it breads division which is counter-productive to our collective aspirations for a united and affluent nation. My final verify reveals that the phrase division is a assemble of the phrase “imaginative and prescient” with a prefix “di” which implies double in Latin. Simply think about what double imaginative and prescient does to a person, far more a Nation. Our nationwide creed or motto for those who like, is unity and religion, peace and progress. Embedded on this nice concept is the truth that unity precedes peace and progress. The query due to this fact is, how can we unite our disparate peoples in a way that ensures peace and progress? This isn’t the one query, it’s each query.
i) After all, our power just isn’t in numbers however unity. You aren’t sturdy since you are many, you might be sturdy since you are united. Nigeria can’t survive if we merely tolerate one another or if the happiness of 1 group is the unhappiness of the opposite group. But when we’re united, we might be indomitable. And if all of us: Muslims, Christians, atheists, the previous, the younger, men and women work collectively and pray collectively in unity: imagine me; we might be invincible. On the corollary, many are the Nations and Empires that might not stand up to divisions.
ii) The biggest building mission ever on earth – the erection of the Tower of Babel got here to an abrupt halt resulting from divisions. The just about 3200 years lengthy recorded historical past of the Egyptian empire collapsed resulting from divisions when Cleopatra the final Pharaoh killed her brother Ptolemy the thirteenth who was a joint inheritor to the throne and married one other of her brother, Ptolemy the 14th earlier than she had him additionally killed in order that her son can succeed her because the pharaoh. The omnipotent Roman Empire identical to the British Empire after it, decayed and died not on account of invading armies however simply because they might not stand up to the contradictions inside. Want we are saying extra about Yugoslavia and the USSR?
iii) The US too is at the moment struggling and in the event that they don’t invent ingenious methods to heal divisions, the US dominance, identical to all the opposite empires earlier than, may quickly develop into historical past. If we expect we will encourage divisions within the scale we’re witnessing and never see what these Empires and Nations noticed, then we’re of all women and men most depressing.
c) As well as, the shortcoming to tell apart the Nigeria of 1993 from 2022 gave me trigger to worry the extra. An indispensable attribute of a pacesetter in disaster is to have the ability to acknowledge a departure of occasions from routine to novel. The shortcoming to identify an infliction level in moments of gripping visceral concern throughout the nation represents an irredeemable deadly error of judgment. There has by no means been a time in our historical past that we’re as divided. We’re battling terrorism, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, secessionists and all method of challenges.
Consequently, anybody who thinks that occasions in Nigeria in 2022 are usually not novel however routine as they had been in 1993 is completely incapable of discovering options to challenges at the moment ravaging our pricey nation.
14. As for the nodding canine who’ve bought themselves to mendacity spirits by intentionally believing in lies or are refusing to simply accept the reality, rebuke them in love. We could, in spite of everything, be coping with fallen angels. We should always remember that each technology has its personal Jannes and Jambres who withstood Moses; its prophets of Baal who withstood Elijah; its Sanballats and Tobiahs who withstood Nehemiah; it’s Esaus whose profanity will drive them to promote their beginning rights; its Gehazis who will give up to seducing spirits as a way to feed their greed; its Hamans who will plot to annihilate Gods folks: the record goes on. On this class of individuals, the scripture has already positioned a curse, “Woe to those that name evil good and good evil, who put darkness for gentle and light-weight for darkness, who put bitter for candy and candy for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20. However simply as these they withstood overcame, we can even overcome if we faint not.
15. The tougher they attempt to make us bow to the golden picture of greed, the extra we must always chant to their chagrin the reply given by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – who stated to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we aren’t cautious to reply thee on this matter. If it’s so, our God whom we serve is ready to ship us from the burning fiery furnace, and he’ll ship us out of thine hand, O king. But when not, be it recognized unto thee, O king, that we’ll not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden picture which thou hast arrange”.
16. In closing, let me reiterate the truth that we’re right here to speak about what is true and what’s unsuitable. To my thoughts what is true isn’t just to win elections however to unite Nigerians each now and after the elections in order that we will collectively construct a Nigeria that works for all no matter creed. As President Obama warned, “if you must win a marketing campaign by dividing folks, you aren’t going to have the ability to govern them. You gained’t be capable of unite them later” That is spot-on as a result of anybody who wins an election by dividing us must preserve us divided as a way to govern us. This isn’t what any cheap and peace-loving Nigerian needs.
17. So long as God stays the God of justice, could we proceed to withstand injustice to our sinews, irrespective of who’s for or in opposition to it as a result of it’s the requirement of the simply God. Allow us to exit from this summit with the resolve to hunt out our Muslim brothers and sisters who imagine in unifying our folks as a way to usher within the a lot want peace and development for Nigeria to unleash her true potentials. I’m certain we’ll collectively agree on a platform that might advance our collective seek for unity, peace and growth. Imagine me, the one different is the highway to Yugoslavia. God forbid! If we need to see Nigeria exalted, we should insist she does the proper issues.
18. Thanks for listening. God bless you and will God bless Nigeria.
Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara
Speaker of the eighth Home of Reps.
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