As the controversy over same faith presidential ticket lingers following APC’s Bola Tinubu's choice of Kashim Shettima as presidential running mate, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has sided with Nigerians who have expressed concern over such combo, saying it is a sure path to destruction since it fails to recognize and respect the diversity in the country.
Soyinka who spoke on Channels Television’s Newsnight, via a pre-recorded interview aired on Monday, said there would have been no need to worry about same faith tickets if the country hasn't been divided along ethnic, region, and religious lines.
He said normally, emphasis should have been based on capacity, qualifications, and competence when deciding who governs the country. However, the situation in the country does not permit such line of thoughts thanks to leaders who have for years, weaponized religion and ethnicity to achieve their selfish goals.
He said unless this line of thought is defeated, a section of the public have every reason to be concerned over same faith ticket.
“I don’t give a damn if the president, the vice-President, the speaker, etc. all come from the same village, they have the same religion, they belong to the same tribe,” Soyinka said when asked about his thoughts on the controversy that has trailed the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“If, however, it is transparently, absolutely, unarguable that is a kind of genius breed that has been donated to the nation and to the world, as long as the capability of the individuals who are into governance is proven, and it is quite clear that there is no alternative, that is my position,” he added.
“Now, we are talking about a society which is normal, which institutions are normal…Is Nigeria normal?” he asked.