Apparently unsettled by spontaneous reactions and outright rejection of his choice of a Muslim running mate by the christian community, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is meeting with the religious leaders to assuage their feelings.
A source in the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Campaign Organisation said the presidential candidate took the decision after a thorough meeting with members of a think- thank team which found it expedient that Tinubu need to go round the christian leaders to diffuse the notion that both the candidate and his party, the APC, plans a regime of christians exclusion after winning the 2023 polls.
Asiwaju, whose wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), hence kick-started the persuasive drive with the denomination by visiting its General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye at Redemption Camp, Lagos – Ibadan expressway on Sunday.
His wife, a few Yoruba elder statemen and politicians went with him.
Though details of the closed door meeting was not made known but a senior pastor in the protocol department at the Redemption Camp said the head of RCCG’s recently created Politics and Policy Section was at the meeting.
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He said “knowing fully the influence that Daddy G.O (as Adeboye is widely called) wield in Nigeria’s Christian community and among the big men of God, the politician thinks he can explore such influence to reach out to other church leaders and christian associations to see reason why he should not be denied christians votes in next year’s election.”
Also, the source at the Tinubu campaign team said the former Lagos State governor has kicked the ground running with the visit to Adeboye.
Next on the list of consultation will be other leaders of churches with large congregations and christian bodies like the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).
Tinubu, it was gathered will be accompanied on these consultations with select leaders of both religious faiths in the party.
Recall that the candidate drew the fury of many Nigerians, majorly christians when he announced the choice of former governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima as the Vice Presidential candidate of APC.
Though party chieftains have frantically been defending APC choice of a Muslim/ Muslim presidential ticket, outrage against the choice continue to grow.
