Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State says fixation of some Nigerians on religion rather than competence is an impediment to development.
The governor said this in reaction to concerns that have been raised by many Nigerians over the choice of running mate of All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as there are speculation that he’s mulling a northern Muslim as running mate.
Many Nigerians have opposed the move, says it will be a recipe for an impending loss at the polls.
The convention since the return to democratic rule in 2019 is that the two regions, North and South, must share the presidency, between the two dominant religions, Christianity and Islam.
However, the Governor said he does not care if the President and his vice are all Muslim or all Christians, insisting that what matters at this point is the delivery of good governance.
El-Rufai, who is believed to be among those who could be favoured for the All Progressives Congress, APC’s Vice president slot, said people should rather focus on the ability, capacity and competency of individuals instead of their regions.
Asiwau Bola Tinubu, a Southern Muslim, won the APC presidential primary after he scored 1,271 to defeat his closest challenger, Amaechi, who polled 316.
The search for running mates for parties’ flagbearers is now in earnest, following the Independent National Electoral Commission’s order to all presidential candidates to submit names of their co-contestants in one week.
But El-Rufai in an interview with Channels Television on Friday evening, said, “I don’t look at people from Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian angle. Most of my closest friends are Christians.
“It was Pastor Tunde Bakare, a pentecostal pastor, that took me to CPC, not President Buhari. I’m very close to Bakare. I’m very close to many Christians.
“I don’t think the business of governance has anything to do with religion. I think we should look for the best person for the job. A person that will get the job done and let him do that.
“I’m the wrong person to ask because in my State I picked a very competent and qualified woman as a running mate in the 2019 election but just because she happens to be a Muslim people were calling it ‘Muslim-Muslim ticket’ and they said we were going to lose but we won overwhelmingly.
“This fixation of Nigerians on religion instead of conscience, capacity and capability is quite sad and pathetic and I urge you as the media, please take religion out of governance. I don’t think we should be looking at religion.
“Let’s develop this country… Nigeria is at crossroads, we face very serious dangers in security, in economic meltdown…but all people are concerned as far as who will be President or Vice president is concerned, is religion. It’s so sad. It’s not our religions that will solve our problems.”