Rashidi Ladoja, a former governor of Oyo State, has urged Nigerians to keep praying for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, not to be treated like the self acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential election, Basorun Moshood Abiola.
Chief MKO Abiola died in prison in 1998 without getting to the Presidential Villa.
Ladoja, who spoke at his Bodija, Ibadan country home, shortly after this year Ed-el-Kabir prayers, said the sentiment on Muslim-Muslim ticket should not be impediment for electing leaders.
“There are many factors involved in electing President. Whoever wants to be president and those working for him have to work very hard. In fact, they will need more prayers as they are consulting. With all these efforts, God has the final say on who becomes president. Chief MKO Abiola who was a Muslim was elected along with his vice, a Muslim.
“We only pray that if Tinubu wins, it would not turn out like that of late MKO Chief Abiola. I don’t see anything wrong in Muslim-Muslim ticket because I don’t intervene in religious matters. Muslim and Christians are from the same father. Some people are following Ismal while some are following Isaac which are siblings. So, what is now my own to be fighting for one among them? Even I don’t have time to fight with traditionalists.
“It is only God that knows His servants, so why must we fight over religion? All religion including traditional religion preach love and good character. It is only politicians that usually cause crisis with religion. If not for the crisis of killing in some part of the country, we don’t usually think about the kind of religion someone is practising. But when gunmen started attacking churches and kidnapping clerics in Christendom, people started doubting their fellow brothers who belongs to another religion. They are the cause of all these things. But God will intervene and make Nigeria peaceful again.” (Daily Trust)
