Talk about politics as a game, and the people as pawns. This is what the National Chairman of the South West Agenda (SWAGA) 2023, Senator Dayo Adeyeye, insinuates when he said both the PDP and APC are the same, while trying to justify Tinubu's choice of former governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima, as running mate.
The controversy over the APC’s same faith ticket is still rife and intense, yet the ruling party remained unperturbed.
While speaking in an event held in the Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Adeyeye said the only reason the PDP sees something wrong with Tinubu's choice, is because their presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is not from the South.
He said when a party finds itself in a situation like that of the PDP, it is logically easier to pick a Christian running mate from the South because it would be to their own advantage.
He however, said this is not the case for Tinubu who's only crime is being a Muslim from the South. He said Tinubu has to make the logical decision of picking a Muslim from the North as running mate, just like the logical thing a Northern candidate would do, is to pick a Christian candidate from the South.
He said politics is a game of number, and considering the majority of the population in the North is Muslim, it would be suicidal to pick a Christian, unless religion does not influence people's choices during elections in the country, which is not the case.
"It was evident he (Atiku) was going to pick a Christian from the South this time because he is a Muslim from the North, and it is easier for him," Adeyeye said.
While Adeyeye has a point, the APC has no one to blame for the outrage but itself, for failing to use its 8 years in office to unite Nigerians, and proving that where a person comes from or his religion, does not matter when it comes delivering good governance.
Critics see the move by the APC as insulting, saying a party which oversaw an unprecedented level of religious persecution against Christians in the country despite having a pastor as vice president, now wants Christians to trust a same faith Muslim government. It won't work.