Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has claimed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) didn’t include notable Christians in its newly-released list of nominees for presidential campaign council.
He made this observation on his Twitter handle on Saturday.
Omokri also warned Nigerians about the 2023 election telling them to look at how the APC removed prominent Christians from their campaign list, asking what would happen if APC won the election.
He said, “Dear Nigerians, I hope you are watching how the All Progressives Congress’s Muslim-Muslim ticket just kicked out the top Christian in government, VP Osinbajo, and the only Northern Christian Speaker Nigeria ever had, Yakubu Dogara, from their campaign council?
“The APC Muslim-Muslim ticket has not yet won the election, and they are already purging prominent Christians, like Osinbajo and Dogara, from their campaign council. What will now happen when they win? Remember, to be forewarned is to be forearmed! “
Newsflash Nigeria had reported that 422 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been released from the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) for the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.
The 422 members include APC governors, ministers, lawmakers, ambassadors as well as serving and past public office holders.
The Presidential Campaign Council Secretary, James Faleke, released the names in Abuja on Friday night, Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, retained his position as Director-General just as Deputy Director-General (Operations), Adams Oshiomhole, and Director of Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga.
However, there are shocking omissions of party stalwarts, many of whom have been at loggerheads or engaged in a cold war with Tinubu over his preference for the contentious Muslim-Muslim ticket.
They include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and one of Tinubu’s sweat merchant, Adebayo Shittu, who heads one of his biggest support groups — Asiwaju Tinubu-Shettima Coalition for Good Governance.
While the camp of Osinbajo had distanced itself from the former Lagos governor after his emergence as winner of the APC presidential ticket, the duo of Dogara and Lawal had remained a perennial thorn in Tinubu’s flesh for selecting ex-Borno Governor Senator Kashim Shettima, a fellow Muslim, as running mate.
Dogara had predicted on Tuesday that the adoption of a Muslim-Muslim ticket was a fruitless political effort that was “doomed to end in spectacular failure.”
The ex-speaker made the statement while delivering his keynote address at a summit tagged ‘Meet The Church,’ organised by the Nigeria National Christian Coalition.
Lawal, on the other hand, vowed that the introduction of a same-faith ticket by the APC was a deliberate plan to further create divisions in the north.
The disgruntled former SGF, who spoke during an interview on Arise Television, declared that he was working with about 40 Christian leaders in the north to ensure that the contentious APC ticket failed.
Despite defending his principal stoutly on all fronts including live political television programmes, Shittu’s sin remained largely unknown.
The loyalists of the APC national leader have always seen the former Minister of Communications as an outsider because he “found his way into the party” through Congress for Progressive Change, one of the few political platforms that merged to form the current All Progressives Congress.
The inclusion of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who have been indicted of alleged anti-party activities in the last month has come as a surprise.
While Amaechi had subtly accused Tinubu of financially inducing delegates for votes at the last Convention, Aregbesola was believed to have worked for the victory of the governor-elect of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, at the expense of the incumbent and fellow party member, Adegboyega Oyetola.
Faleke’s statement on Friday read, “We are pleased to announce the nominees of the leadership of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, as per enclosed. All nominees are kindly advised to pick up their appointment letters from the undersigned on Monday, 26th September 2022 at 12noon.
“The venue is Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council on Plot 781, Herbert Macaulay Way, Central Area Abuja. All other members will be contacted by the leaders of their respective directorates.”
The ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi was named Special Adviser on Infrastructure.
President Muhammadu Buhari is the PCC Chairman, Tinubu is the Deputy Chairman, and APC National Chairman, Deputy Chairman II.
Vice Presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima is the Vice Chairman; Plateau Governor Simon Lalong is Director General; Adams Oshiomhole, Deputy Director, Operations Hadiza Usman, Deputy Director, Administration.
Others who made the list include hundreds of former and serving Governors, Senators, House of Representatives members and Ministers.
The rest are government officials, party elders (Campaign Patrons) and chieftains in States, women and youth leaders, as well as thespians.
APC Governors (and governorship candidates) will serve as the Coordinator of their States. In addition to the role, a few of them will also act as Zonal Coordinators or Special Advisers.
The Directors are Festus Keyamo, Public Affairs; Femi Fani-Kayode, New Media; Bayo Onanuga, Media and Publicity; Mohammed Idris, Strategic Communications; Aminu Jaji, Contact and Mobilization.
Bello Goronyo, Youth Mobilization; Birnin Kudu, Parliamentarian; Mustapha Muhaja, Campaign Planning; Wale Edun, Finance; Babatunde Fashola, Election Planning and Monitoring.
Gbemisola Saraki, Trade and Economic; Bobboi Kagama, Labour; Abike Dabiri, Protocol and Events; Nuhu Ribadu, Stakeholders Relations; Musa Babayo, Policy and Research; Ade Omole, Diaspora.
Hassan Liman, Legal; Jubril Abdulmalik, Intelligence and Security; Kolade Alabi, Local Government; Musiliu Obanikoro, SDGs; Ayuba Gufwan, PWD; Jack Rich, Fund Raising; Zack Orji, Performing Arts, among others.
