… Tells Niger Gov to emulate Kaduna counterpart
A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State, Hon. Jonathan Vatsa, has commended the Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, for choosing a Christian as his running mate for the 2027 general election.
New Telegraph reports that Governor Sani picked a Christian from the Southern Kaduna Senatorial zone of the state as his running mate.
Vatsa noted that the decision is a deviation from his predecessor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, by settling for a ‘faith balanced’ ticket by choosing a Christian as his running mate.
While speaking to Journalists, the former Publicity Secretary of the ruling party in Niger State said that by this singular gesture, the governor has shown a great respect for the Christian community in the state, adding that religious sensitivity in a secular state like Kaduna is very key to the political development of the state.
However, the former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, who has maintained his opposition to the Muslim-Muslim ticket by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his state governor, Umaru Mohammed Bago, ahead of the 2027 general election, described Governor Uba Sani as a true lover of the Christian faith not only in Kaduna State but the country in general.
He then called on Governor Bago to be sensitive to the yearnings of the people and know that religious sensitivity in a secular state like Kaduna is very key to political development.
According to him, the Muslim- Christian ticket in Kaduna state by the governor is an antidote to peaceful co-existence and religious harmony in the state.
“Lack of religious balancing has plunged the state into avoidable crisis under previous administrations in the past. The Christian community in Kaduna state can now heave a sigh of relief and sense of security after years of religious marginalisation.
“I want to commend Governor Uba Sani for this singular gesture towards the Christian community in his state. He is a true lover of the Christian faith not only in Kaduna state but the country in general.
“He has distinguished himself from those who pay lip-service towards love for Christians in the afternoon but marginalised them in the night when it comes to political appointments and elective offices.
“I call on all well-meaning Christians in Kaduna state to give the governor their support. He deserves the maximum support from the Christian community in Kaduna state”.
Vatsa, who is the immediate past Special Adviser to Niger State Governor on Media and Communications, said he stands by his earlier condemnation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for sticking to the Muslim-Muslim ticket for 2027, insisting that “it is a collective insult to the entire Christians in the country”.
Vatsa had also expressed dismay over the same faith arrangements in Niger state, saying that the governor, Umaru Mohammed Bago, has betrayed the trust the Christian community has in him by sticking to the Muslim-Muslim ticket for 2027.
Accordingly, he said, “I want to also reiterate my earlier stand on the same faith ticket arrangements at the federal and in my state. These decisions are politically insensitive and unacceptable.
“No amount of harassment, intimidation and blackmail will make me change my position. Those who lack survival skills are the ones who see the truth and keep quiet.
“Even if you don’t like the messenger, you should take the message. You don’t go to church to sing choruses and dance with Christians, and when it comes to giving appointments or consensus arrangements for elective offices, you marginalised the Christians.
“I will continue to speak against any form of marginalisation regardless of any threat to my life. I am a critical stakeholder and a pioneer member who has sacrificed everything, including my life, for this great party ahead of the 2015 election; therefore, nobody can intimidate me.
“Anything anybody thinks he has acquired to make him believe that he can harass and intimidate people is temporary because when the time comes, we will all leave with empty hands”.
