Muslim-Muslim Ticket: Why Tinubu Picked Lalong As Campaign DG – Buhari’s Ex-Minister

Former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, has claimed that Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State was not picked as the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign because he is a Christian.

Naija News reports that the decision of the APC to field a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the 2023 presidential election had received a lot of backlashes, with reports suggesting that Lalong was selected over Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State to appease the Christian community.

Adebayo Shittu, DG of the Asiwaju Tinubu-Shettima Coalition for Good Governance, said appeasing North Christians was not why Lalong and spokesman for the campaign council, Festus Keyamo, were selected.

“There is no point reading meanings or introduce religious undertone into the move. Lalong is a member of the party and a governor who is almost through with his tenure, and he has agreed to accept the position,” he told The PUNCH.

“Nevertheless, it is the duty of the candidate to appoint somebody he thinks is capable and can do the work.”

Religion And Tribe

Shittu stated that Lalong is a friendly person who is at peace with his people, regardless of religion or tribe.

“Since he became governor of Plateau state, have you heard of any complaint by Muslims? That is because he has been very fair to everyone in the state. We should just thank God that our party is getting it right in all respects,” he said.

He stated that the choice of Lalong was the prerogative of the flagbearer and Northern governors.

According to Shittu, “Any outgoing governor could have been chosen because the job of a campaign council head is formalise the party’s electioneering exercise in the sense of organising seat-by-seat arrangement in various states and other logistics. It will also be on a nationwide basis and providing the wherewithal to ensure that the campaign succeeds.”