Nigerians should pray for Tinubu, Shettima to deliver democracy dividends: APC South Africa

The All Progressives Congress (APC), South Africa chapter, says the Muslim-Muslim joint ticket of the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, will deliver dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

In a statement on Sunday, the chairman of the chapter, Bola Babarinde, said Messrs Tinubu and Shettima have the capacity to salvage the country from its current woes.

“The focus and beam of light towards the election by the public and, especially the electorate, should be on performance capacity and not religion or other primordial sentiments that have held us back as a nation from collectively rising above tribal and religious divides.”

According to him, what the nation needs now are competent leaders that can make lives better for the people.

“The pedigree and achievements of Tinubu and Shettima in administration, governance and politics are solid and incontrovertible.

“They both possess the political capital and administrative wherewithal to lead the most populous black nation to socioeconomic development,” he said.

According to him, it will be a marginalisation if Muslims and Christians believe they are the only organised religion in Nigeria and, by doing so, exclude adherents of native and traditional religion from aspiring to lead the country.

He said the adherents of traditional religion also have the right to aspire and demand representation in governance.

“Even a joint ticket of both Muslim and Christian candidate can even be contested by adherents of the native religions for exclusivity and devoid of inclusion and equal representation.

“We should pray for their success at the coming polls and work together eventually for the smooth sailing of the incoming administration after the current dispensation,” he said.

According to him, in South Africa, the demand and concern are issue-based and not the religions candidates belong to.

(NAN)