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I Didn’t Criticise Your Presidential Ticket Because I Wanted To Be Your Running Mate – Dogara Replies Tinubu

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Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has said he had never wished to be the Vice Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Naija News reports that Dogara stated this on Saturday in response to the recent statements credited to the APC flagbearer, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Recall that Tinubu had accused those criticising his choice of Senator Kashim Shettima as his running mate had also lobbied him for the vice-presidential position.

The APC Presidential candidate also said his close friends indicated interest to become his running mate but he bluntly turned down.

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But in an interview with Leadership, Dogara said he was surprised that Tinubu would believe that he is opposed to the Muslim-Muslim ticket because he was picked as running mate.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain said Tinubu and his ‘spin doctors’ were trying to deflect attention from the stark reality of prebendal politics that excludes Christians in the country.

Dogara argued that he is not even close to the first tranche of those who first said no to the Muslim- Muslim ticket, noting that  CAN and all major Christian denominations had vehemently rejected the APC ticket.

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He, however, described  as tasteless joke, adding that the ruling party was not sensitive enough to the religious tension in the county before announcing its presidential ticket.

He said: “I have heard it said by spin Doctors including no less a personality than the candidate himself. But what do you want them to say? I guess that’s the only sensible thing to say if you want to deflect attention from the stark reality of prebendal politics that excludes nearly half the country.

“To begin with, I have never read anywhere that Tinubu gives power. To the contrary, only God gives power. It takes only a fool to start getting angry with a mere mortal because he didn’t put him on a ticket. I have seen the hands of God in this regard in my own life so I cannot be foolish.

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“My loyalty is to principles not individuals and I am profusely thankful to God who helped me very early in life to learn to be alone in a crowd.

“With the benefit of hindsight, I am more than grateful to God that it didn’t happen and so many friends and well wishers have also said to me they are thanking God daily that I am not on that ticket granted what they now see and know about the candidate.

“What I find funny is that the candidate and his spin doctors always forget that I am not even close to the first tranche of those who first said no to the Muslim- Muslim ticket.

“Before me, CAN and all major Christian denominations had vehemently rejected it and as we speak they are all still stuck to their guns on the matter. Can any reasonable person say CAN and the Christian denominations that denounced it did so because they were not selected as running mates?

“What of some major Muslim clerics and leaders that have equally rejected same? What of the former leader of a world power that said the same faith ticket is a major problem for Nigeria? All did so because they were not selected as running mates? Give me a break. What a tasteless joke!”

Dogara asserted that his opposition to the APC ticket is based on the long term interest of the country and the need to protect the interest of people wrongly classified as minorities in this country.

He added: “I want to say with every sense of responsibility that my position is based on the long term interest of this country and the need to protect the interest of people wrongly classified as minorities in this country.

”I believe that for Nigeria to be a first class nation, it must not hold second or third class citizens within its borders.

“Were it for self interest, I would have settled for some plumb favours in APC and damn the consequences; after all, which party can better serve your personal interest more than the ruling party?

”Do you think most of the people following Tinubu today are blind? They see the danger but their bellies are open sepulchers so they price the food they anticipate would be on the table above national interest.”