2023: Tinubu/Kashim Religious Balancing and the Credibility Question

By Sani Dan Audi Mohammed

According to the 19th-century German philosopher Karl Marx, the founder and primary theorist of Marxism,viewed religion as “the soul of soulless conditions or the opium of the people. Religion eligion in this world of exploitation is an expression of distress and at the same time it is also a protest against the real distress. In other words, religion continues to survive because of oppressive social conditions.When this oppressive and exploitative condition is destroyed, religion will become unnecessary. Nigeria urgently need to move from the old stone age thinking of voting leaders best on religion and tribes by supporting credibility to spring up the country to the developmental level where each Nigerian will cut according to his needs and eat according to his wants.

Marx saw religion as a form of protest by the working classes against their poor economic conditions and their alienation.Scholars classified Marx’s views as adhering to Post-Theism, a philosophical position that regards worshipping deities as an eventually obsolete, but temporarily necessary stage in humanity’s historical spiritual development.Religion in Nigeria has been so destructive since the resurgence of the fouth republic,the country has lost it Virginity of been one indivisible united nation without taken into account of our faiths and tribal identities.

The political office holders in Nigeria have failed woefully to live to their responsibilities as leaders of all and sundry while the masses/electorates have equally lost their consciousness to elect leaders that will put the country first. As we move towards the 2023 general elections,We should be mindful of the conflicts entrepreneurs who have been benefiting from these bigotries to destroy this artificial wall of hatred infused in us by the so-called elites using our Permanent Voters Cards in the 2023 general elections.Today,We have allowed our religion to be monetized and has now become a mordern Political Structures and empires of bourgeois reaction used for the exploitation and the stupefaction of the working class.

However,Some Nigerians have been busy for nothing since the emergence of the former Governor of Lagos State Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu as the Presidential Candidate of of the ruling All Progressives Congress and heading towards 2023 general elections which is akin to indolence.Tinubu’s faith have been the dominant discourse especially by those who have lost the game either as Presidential aspirants or those that were anticipating to be nominated as Vice Presidential candidate.The recent outburst by Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon.Yakubu Dogara and Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Engr.Babachir David Lawal proved how dept Nigeria is been divded along religious lines even he is one of the major beneficiary of the Credibility Question.

Although,Some were of the opinion that ,a Christian from the North should have been picked to balance the conflicting theories of religious narratives of exclusions been pedded around, others are applauding the choice of the former Governor of Borno State Senator Kashim Shetima by Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu.At this point, campaigns should be extensive, policy and issues based on national interest and not on frivolities.The fundamental issue that should dominate the polity at this critical juncture is the resuscitation of the economy,promoting candidates who can bring to an end of the insurgency in the North East,Farmers-Herders clashes,Kidnapping for ransom,wealth and jobs creation through diversification and above all restore the Unity and harmony of Nigeria as an entity alongside the Nigerian people where tribes and religion are not an issue in chosen the next President of Nigeria in 2027.

However,Farooq Kperogi said,Apparently, religion “doesn’t matter” in Yorubaland only when Muslims are rendered invisible there.Then it suddenly matters when they enjoy some visibility.Even though Muslims constitute more than 50 percent of Yorubaland’s population, there will not be a single Muslim governor there after Adeleke is sworn in. (I’m sure the people of Osun who voted against their incompetent governor who happens to be a Muslim don’t care.This is a clear manifestation of a new Nigeria where our religion identities is not a question that should border anyone long as the Credibility of the candidates is satisfactory.

The centralisation of religion in our political discourse is the main problems and our devisive tendencies that if not address will sink the country into a deep mess. Asiwaju Bola Ahmad Tinubu himself is a typical expression of a true Nigerian ,He is married to a senior Pastor of a Pentecostal Church for nearly a decades and all his children are Christians. Senator Orji Kalu once said that his counterpart in the Senate Senator Olurimi Tinubu is like the deputy President and substantially he is correct.Those selling the narratives of exclusion against Tinubu’s faith must understands how politics works in Nigeria. Yakubu Dogara who acknowledged the Muslims votes and contributions that kept his political journey alive in the last 16 years should not be afraid to preach credibility of the Tinubu’s ticket rather than riding on the religious bigotry to suit his personal political aggrandizement.

The credibility question should be our priorities in the face of the current challenges bedeviling our country as we approach the nation general elections.Nigeria is battling to fix infrastructural decayed,combat security treats by insurgents,Bandits,communal clashes that are of ethnic and religion dimensions,kidnapping for ransom and the increasing sensationalist.This can only be achieve through sustainable unity and by improving our electoral system.It is only when we have leaders of instinct and dept thoughts to sacrifice for the country,We will never get it right. Dogara and Lawal have the constitutional rights to make their positions known but the question should be,Would they have made similar objections if one of them was chosen? Why if it is Christian Christian ticket? Have Dogara forgotten soon how same credibility kept him in the political lifeline in Dass/Tafawa Balewa/Bogoro Federal Constituency? .I expect him and Babachir David Lawal to speak more as politicians as part of honour than reducing themselves more as political preachers.

There is nothing like Muslim Muslim or Christian Christian ticket in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.The emphasis are on the Credibility and capacity to deliver of those jostling for the Office of the President of Nigeria. The ongoing installation of ethnic and religious politics by some pundits who have lived and benifited from the Nigerian Project must be resisted by all and sundry.These bad products currently been sold in our political markets will not and never lead us to glory days. Nigerians must urgently edge out these self centred and seft glorified politicians who are using religion for personal interest especially when they lost out political battles.

Nigeria operates a Multi-party democracy ,apart from the ruling All Progressives Congress other Political Parties exist to give the Nigerian voters a platform to decide their political leaders. Atiku Abubakar of the people democratic party,Peter Obi of Labour Party,Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian People Party and Prince Adewole Adeboye of the Social Democratic Party are all standing-by as fall back position.They are all balance tickets that represent both regions,ethnic and religion balancing.Do you realized that PDP are equally in dept crisis? The political conflicts in PDP are not different from the ruling APC,If Wike Camp would required the Ayu to go to pave the way for a National Chairman from the South,then regions,ethnicity and religion will certainly decide who become the next President of Nigeria.

The moment,Nigerians come to terms with reality that these political parties are not religious institutions while the Tinubu’s,Atiku’s,Obi’s and Kwankwaso’s are not representing any religion is better for us as a People.The pastors and Imams whose summons are strictly on voting candidates best on religion and tribes,then you must reject that with all sort of responsibility.They are equally one of the problem as many served as agents of division affecting us today and the need to protect the future of the country the current religious and ethnic pundits.Live Tinubu alone and wave into other options as a means of rejecting the Muslim Muslim ticket,Unless Atiku put house in order,I forsee Tinubu as the next of Nigeria if credibility and competency are tools of selling and achieving political ambitions.

Danaudi, National President of Arewa Youths advocate for Peace and Unity Initiative,Writes from Bauchi via danaudicomrade@gmail.com