The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has made chilling revelation about his estranged friend — presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his choice for a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Atiku who noted that Tinubu is still his ‘friend’, however said that his fundamental problem with the former Lagos governor is his preference for a Muslim-Muslim ticket since the duo’s political rapprochement in 2007.
Atiku explained that Tinubu has always openly expressed his choice for a Muslim-Muslim ticket, an opinion Atiku believes is not good for a multi-religious country like Nigeria.
Atiku has said his political ties with Bola Tinubu crashed in 2007 after Tinubu demanded for the vice-presidential candidate of the now-defunct Action Congress (AC) in that year’s presidential election.
He noted that he rejected the demands on the grounds that it would amount to a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Thereafter, Atiku said he became politically-estranged with Tinubu after he presented Ben Obi, a Christian from southern Nigeria, as his vice-presidential candidate in the 2007 election.
According to him, Tinubu then switched allegiance to support Umar Yar’Adua of the then-ruling PDP, who later went on to win the election.
Atiku said, “My fundamental disagreement with Asiwaju since 2007 was on the issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket. That was my fundamental disagreement and departure politically from Tinubu.
“Remember, I came out of PDP on the issue of zoning and together with Asiwaju, we formed ACN and I was given the presidential ticket in Lagos. He insisted to be my running mate and I didn’t believe it was right to have a Muslim-Muslim ticket. And because of that he switched support to late Yar’Adua.
“And, of course it is also a fact that when Buhari emerged in 2015, I opposed a Muslim-Muslim ticket. And my own position actually forced President Buhari to choose a Christian running mate. So I have all along opposed the Muslim-Muslim ticket because I don’t believe it is right for the country.”
When asked about his relationship with Tinubu, who is a former Lagos State governor, Atiku in an interview on Arise TV explained that they still remain friends despite their political differences.
“I’m still a friend of him and being friends with him doesn’t mean we can’t have our political differences,” he added.
