2023: MURIC Berates Afenifere Over Refusal to Support Bola Tinubu
- Islamic group, MURIC, has berated Afenifere over its refusal to support Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu's presidential ambition
- MURIC declared that the Yoruba socio-cultural group is making a great mistake by distancing itself from Tinubu
- According to MURIC, Afenifere is opposing Tinubu's presidential ambition because he is a Yoruba Muslim
Lagos - An Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has tackled the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, over the latter’s refusal to support Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who recently declared his intention to contest in the 2023 presidential election.
MURIC argued that Tinubu deserves Afenifere’s support in view of his active role in the struggle for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria.
Source: Twitter
The group made its stance known in a statement issued by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Tuesday, January 25, and seen by Legit.ng.
Part of the statement read:
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“We are shocked to our marrows that the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, has remained taciturn two weeks after Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu declared his intention to run for the post of president by 2023. Worse still, the leader of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo has allegedly ruled out the possibility of supporting Tinubu.
“Afenifere is making a great mistake by distancing itself from Tinubu simply because the latter supported President Muhammadu Buhari. Afenifere is playing parochial politics. There is no scintilla of doubt that regional politics is parochial politics. It is myopic and unpatriotic.
“A visionary group will extend its horizon. That is what Tinubu has done and his nationalistic mien has earned him nationwide acceptance. You cannot remain locked up in your shell and expect the whole country to embrace you. Afenifere should wise up.
“Afenifere has one or two lessons to learn from the Igbo. Unlike Afenifere’s cold attitude towards the only Yoruba man who has shown interest in the presidency (at least publicly), the Igbo socio-cultural group, the Ohaneze, has pledged to support two Igbo men (Anyim Pius Anyim and Dave Umahi) who have expressed interest in the presidency with 10 billion naira. That is the spirit.
“We call on Afenifere to sharpen its political instinct. An adage says one good turn deserves another. The Yoruba socio-cultural group should neither reject its best candidate nor remain neutral at a time others are embracing their own.
“The strong suspicion in Muslim circles is that Afenifere is opposing Tinubu because he is a Muslim. This suspicion has a deep root in the age-long anti-Muslim antics of Afenifere. We warn that Nigerian Muslims will give any Christian candidate sponsored by Afenifere a good thrashing at the polls come 2023. Democracy is a game of numbers.
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“As we draw the curtain, MURIC reiterates its earlier commitment to the emergence of a Yoruba Muslim as the presidential candidate so long as a Yoruba candidate is picked by any political party. Any other region can pick a Christian. It is the turn of a Yoruba Muslim presidency after Obasanjo, Shonekan, and Osinbajo. This for us is non-negotiable. No retreat, no surrender.”
Tinubu vows to pay WAEC fees for all students if elected president
Meanwhile, Tinubu has promised to pay the West African Senior School Certificate Examination fees for every Nigerian child if he is elected president.
Tinubu made the statement while addressing an APC women group in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
He also urged them to stay in the APC because the party is progressive in its policies.
PDP warned against fielding northern presidential candidate in 2023
In a related development, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has been warned against fielding a presidential candidate from northern Nigeria in 2023.
A political advocacy group, Reset Nigeria, made the call in a statement issued on Monday, January 14, and sent to Legit.ng.
The group said the PDP risks mass exodus of members and extinction if it fails to field a presidential candidate from southern Nigeria in line with the idea of a rotational presidency between the north and the south.
Source: Legit.ng
