2023: Gov. Akeredolu Urge Christians to Focus on Competence, not Religion
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, ahead of the coming general election, has urged Christians to look beyond religion and focus on the competence of the presidential candidate.
He stated this while speaking at the 40th Holy Ghost Convention Dinner of The Sword of the Spirit Ministries held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, the governor insisted that he led his colleagues in the Southern Governors’ Forum to demand Southern Presidency, despite stiff opposition from some quarters.
According to him: “That is why under the Southern Governors’ Forum, where, luckily, God made me the chairman, we kept hammering on that.
“It must come to the South. And when it also got to our party in APC, we fought that it must come to the South. Luckily, it did not only come to the South, it also came to the South-West. Now, where do we stand? I understand our feelings because I’m one of you.
“I discussed with Bishop Francis Wale Oke that the presidency must come to the South. Take it or leave it, it is the minimum we can get. It must come to the South.
“I am a Christian. All of us here are worried. What will be our gain? And why is my party, the APC, throwing up a Muslim-Muslim ticket?
“It has been a real issue for all of us, even members of the party; it has been an issue for us.
“We have debated it, fought it, and we have done so many things on it. I have always told people that my fight was for the Southern president.
“Now, it has come to the South-West. Will I now throw the baby away with the bathwater? Can I, in all honesty, do it? Should I, in all honesty, do it?
“We call it a matter of coincidence. It is a matter of conscience. All of us are here, why don’t we look at it from one angle?
“The buck stops on the table of the President. Do we have a capable hand who can manage affairs if given the opportunity? Do you have a bold man to challenge incursion into our land? That is it. All of us here have lived together for years, and we didn’t allow religion to bring fight among us.”
Akeredolu praised Bola Tinubu as the ideal candidate while pleading with Nigerians not to undermine the possibility of the South-West providing the next President in 2023.
On the Muslim-Muslim ticket, the governor urged Christians to put Tinubu’s skills before their religious beliefs.
He said: “We have Muslims in our families, and there is no fight. We have many leaders in Yorubaland who have Muslims and Christians in their families, and there is no fight.
“So, we want to appeal to our people that this is our time. I want to appeal to all our senior pastors and general overseers to help talk to their followers. We, politicians, can only do little. This is our time, please don’t be angry.”
