By Gbenga Sodeinde
The Tinubu Fellows Pathfinders, a Pro-Tinubu national movement currently busy convincing millions of Nigeria at the grassroots to join the winning train of the presidential ambition of the frontline presidential hopeful on the formidable platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asuwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has urged all Nigerians, and particularly the south west to trust the presidential candidate of APC, Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shetima, saying Tinubu remains an epitome of Justice, fairness and firm democratic principles.
While appealing to all Nigerians not to be swayed by the religious sentiments being expressed in some quarters about the emergence of the amiable ex-Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shetima thus making the Tinubu/Shetima joint candidacy a Muslim/Muslim ticket, the TFP in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday and jointly signed by its national coordinator, comrade Ahmed Mutair and national media coordinator, comrade Wole Balogun, said the duo of Tinubu and Shetima may be Muslims by faith but they are humanists by heart.
Describing a humanist as an individual endowed with selfless and sacrificial love for humanity irrespective of religious, cultural, social and tribal differences, the TFP assured Nigerians that the future of our great country is safe in the hands of these two gentlemen.
The statement reads in part: “As our great ruling party, APC unveils our indefatigable and amiable Vice-Presidential candidate in the person of Senator Kashim Shetima today, we are not unaware about the expected religious sentiments being vigorously expressed in some quarters.
Such sentiments have alleged that the Muslim/Muslim ticket is injuring the religious ego of some Nigerians, discouraging others from supporting the presidential ambition of our Tinubu and most of all appearing as a signal to an alleged plan to islamization of Nigeria!.
To these foregoing fears and sentiments, we like to respond that Nigerians do not have anything to worry about in as much as they trust Tinubu and indeed there are many reasons for which Tinubu should be trusted.
These reasons we shall itemise here: First of all, we urge Nigerians to trust Tinubu because he is a humane leader; a humane leader is compassionate, and does not discriminate in showering his love on the people.
The precedents of this great leader, Tinbubu have confirmed that he is compassionate and shows love to all irrespective of their religious, cultural , social or tribal differences.
Secondly, Tinubu is an adherent of democratic principles who has not only fought vigorously for the return of democratic rule in Nigeria but has also practised it and has always been an advocate of democratic principles on all fronts.
A man such as Tinubu who who is unrepentantly and deeply devoted to democratic principles in leadership will never allow religion to cloud his mind in making decisios that affect the welfare and welll being of an heterogeneous and vastly secular nation like Nigeria.
Thirdly, neither Tinubu not Shetima has a history of discriminating against people of other faiths outside lslam during their tenure as former governors and in several other capacities they have been oppurtuned to serve our great country.
Therefore, we urge Nigerians to revisit the antecedents of these two great Nigerians in other to know them much better and ignore the religious sentiments from some quarters which hold no water in the real sense of it,