Former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has said that he and not former President Olusegun Obasanjo first spoke against a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket for the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2015 presidential election.
He stated this while reacting to a claim by former Governor of Osun State, Olagunsoye Oyinlola that Obasanjo truncated an agreement between Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (a Muslim) and Muhammadu Buhari (also a Muslim) to run as vice-president and president respectively.
Oyinlola, a strong Obasanjo ally, stated that Buhari and Tinubu had already entered into a secret arrangement to be presidential and vice presidential candidate of the APC respectively.
“The agreement was concealed from a good number of the party leaders until it surfaced after Buhari had got the ticket. Then the rumour came out and some us felt danger was looming with the idea of Muslim-Muslim ticket. To further add to our fears, General Buhari on one occasion said there was nothing wrong in the Muslim-Muslim presidential arrangement, saying after all he governed with Tunde Idiagbon.
“That statement made us to know it (the Muslim-Muslim idea) was a fact. On two occasions, Bola (Tinubu) mentioned it in my presence that they agreed. If you recall one trending video back then, where it was said that Buhari had jettisoned what they agreed on, that is the room he was sleeping when Buhari was looking for the post.
“We then told Baba (Obasanjo). We told him that taking power from an incumbent government was a tough task and we must not give room for excuse and miss the target. We told him they (Buhari and Tinubu) were thinking of a Muslim-Muslim ticket. That was when Baba (Obasanjo) said people should not take the sensibilities of Nigerians for granted,” Oyinlola stated.
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Reacting in a tweet on Saturday, Fani-Kayode said, “Obasanjo spoke against it but I was the first. I blew the whistle before anyone else. Obasanjo spoke only AFTER I wrote my essay warning about the dangers of a Muslim Muslim ticket.
“We must not distort history. I am proud of the role played then and I did it for Nigeria and for my faith. A Muslim Muslim ticket in 2015 would have been.a deep insult to Christians and it would have torn Nigeria apart.”