A former Member representing Jos East/Jos South in the National Assembly, Hon. Bitrus Kaze has condemned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for not zoning its presidency to the south.
He also condemned the Muslim-Muslim ticket fielded by the All Progressives Congress (PDP), insisting that there is no consideration for the people of other faiths and zones.
However, he called for the support of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, stressing that Nigerians should support the “Obi movement” for the sake of justice, inclusiveness, and good governance.
Sharing his thoughts on the political environment in the country while speaking in Jos, the former lawmaker stated that voting for Obi is justice.
According to him: “What in the first place is making people talk about Muslim/Muslim or Christian/Christian ticket? That trend of argument has become prominent because it is in the subconscious minds of Nigerians that if the President is Christian, naturally, the Vice would be Muslim, and vice versa, but we have so gone arrogant to the extent that we are pretending that that doesn’t matter.
“Is it proper in a country like ours with several tribes and religions for a Muslim to be a President for eight years, and then you bring up another Muslim, north, west, south, or east, to continue as a President in another eight years? As a Christian, I feel short-changed, and I will not yield to that because it is not fair.
"The Muslim/Muslim ticket happened over 30 years ago when I was elected a Councillor.
“Christians tolerated; canvassed votes for Abiola notwithstanding that his Vice was a Muslim. I want to ask you; will there ever be a time in this country that a Christian will run as a President and pick another Christian as a running mate, and then we have peace?
"It will be a betrayal of trust for me to commit myself to such a project. As a person, I am at home with Peter Obi, and this is what I will suggest to our people, look forward to giving Peter Obi your votes because that is justice, it will carry every section of the country along.
“In 2019, I was firmly with Atiku because of Obi, now Obi was forced to leave. If the PDP is ready to take the ticket from the north and give anybody from the South even if it is a dog, I will support it but with the extent that the PDP has infringed its own constitution, how will I be faithful to the PDP constitution.
“You can be a diehard PDP or APC, Peter Obi’s movement is raging everywhere, he stands out simply because Nigerians feel that both the PDP and the APC on the Presidential tickets disappointed Nigerians.
“The constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria provides this country must be administered in a manner that commands national loyalty, the constitution of our party is that they shall be zoning… if I did not support the Plateau PDP gubernatorial candidate on the basis of zoning in 2015, I will be unfair to the late GNS to support Atiku in 2023.”
“The mistake the PDP has done is not the issue of Okowa or Wike, it is the issue of the Presidency, Atiku or anybody from the north ought not to be our candidate. I won’t work for Atiku because it offends our social, religious, and even economic sensibilities that somebody from the northwest has been a President for eight years, and you expect another person from the northeast and the same religion as the former to be there for another eight years.