2023 Presidency: APC Senator Moves Against Same Faith Ticket, Proposes New Bill

2023 Presidency: APC Senator Moves Against Same Faith Ticket, Proposes New Bill

  • The APC senator representing Kogi-West senatorial district, Smart Adeyemi, has made a move to stop political parties from fielding the same faith presidential ticket
  • Senator Adeyemi said he has proposed a bill to prevent the same faith ticket of either Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian after the 2023 elections
  • The APC lawmaker explained the controversies generated by the ruling party's Muslim-Muslim ticket necessitated his move

Smart Adeyemi, the lawmaker representing Kogi-West senatorial district, says he has proposed a bill to prevent the same faith ticket of either Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian for President and Vice President seats by any political party after the 2023 general election.

The Punch reported that Senator Adeyemi showed a copy of the draft to journalists on Sunday, September 4.

Senator Smart Adeyemi/Same faith ticket of either Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian/2023 general elections
Senator Smart Adeyemi proposed a bill to prevent the same faith ticket of either Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian for the presidency after 2023. Photo credit: @SenSmartAdeyemi
Source: Twitter

The lawmaker also noted that the Senate is seeking an amendment to section 84 of the 2022 Electoral Act.

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APC's Muslim-Muslim ticket generated controversies - Adeyemi

Senator Adeyemi further said the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) generated a lot of controversies in the country and necessitated his move to propose the bill.

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He said, to prevent future occurrence, a new sub-section is being proposed to section 84 of the 2022 Electoral Act.

His words:

"Section 84 of the Principal Act will be amended by inserting a new subsection 3 which will states thus, ‘No political party shall nominate candidates of the same religion as Presidential candidate and Vice Presidential candidate after the 2023 election.’
“When this is accommodated, it will serve as a guide against any oversight such as this in the future as further occurrences will be deemed as silent policy which is capable of bringing down the fabrics of the nation.”

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Senator Adeyemi added that a wide range of consultations on the need for the amendment has been made with the leadership of the Senate and other colleagues.

CAN's apprehensions against APC's Muslim-Muslim ticket genuine - Adeyemi

Senator Adeyemi also said that the apprehensions raised by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) over the same faith Presidential ticket are genuine.

The APC lawmaker, however, said the broadmindedness and pedigree of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shetimma, the ruling party's candidates, will allay all fears being raised.

The senator further added that both Tinubu and Shettima should be assessed based on their pedigrees and not their religious faith or even political party.

“Nigerians should look at the individuals candidates contesting for the presidency in 2023 and not the political parties they belong to or religion they practice.
“Based on my conviction, despite the same faith ticket, Tinubu and Shetimma are the best for the country come 2023," Senator Adeyemi said.

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2023: Christians will get key appointments in Tinubu’s cabinet, APC stakeholders reveal

The Asiwaju Ahmed Bola-Shettima presidential support group has said the standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, will appoint Christians to key positions of authority in his cabinet if elected Nigeria’s next president in 2023.

This was disclosed by the group’s Director-General, AIG Abdulsalami Iyaji (rtd) at a press briefing held in Abuja on Friday, September 2.

According to him, the move would allay the fears and douse tension raised in many quarters by those opposed to Tinubu’s choice of Senator Kashim Shettima, a Muslim, as running mate.

Source: Legit.ng

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Nurudeen Lawal (Head of Politics and Current Affairs Desk) Nurudeen Lawal is an AFP-certified journalist with a wealth of experience spanning over 8 years. He received his B/Arts degree in Literature-in-English from OAU. Lawal is the Head of the Politics/CA Desk at Legit.ng, where he applies his expertise to provide incisive coverage of events. He was named the Political Desk Head of the Year (Nigeria Media Nite-Out Award 2023). He is also a certified fact-checker (Dubawa fellowship, 2020). Contact him at lawal.nurudeen@corp.legit.ng or +2347057737768.