Any Muslim vying to be senate president doesn’t respect the constitution – APC Vice-Chairman, Salihu Lukman

Salihu Lukman, vice-chairman of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) in the north-west, says any Muslim aspiring to be senate
president does not respect the constitution and the party.

Lukman made the remark on the grounds that President-elect
Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, the vice-president-elect, are both Muslims.

The APC national working committee (NWC) member said any
attempt to elect a Muslim as senate president would promote the dominance of
Muslims in the federal government.

Lukman said such a development would be injurious to
national unity.

 “Any Muslim aspiring
for the position of Senate President has no respect for both the constitutions
of the federal republic of Nigeria and the APC,” he said in a statement on
Monday.

“This is because Chapter II, Section 14(3) of the Nigerian
constitution clearly outlined that ‘the composition of the Government of the
Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be
carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and
the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty,
thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few
states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or in
any of its agencies.

“With two Muslims already elected to be sworn in as
president and vice-president of the federal republic on May 29, any attempt to
consider another Muslim as senate president will promote the dominance of
Muslims in the federal government and will be injurious to national unity and
peaceful co-existence of Nigeria as a sovereign entity, which must not be
allowed.”

Lukman said it is embarrassing that some of those aspiring
to be leaders in the legislature are going about it “unethically”.

“There are also the disturbing reports from house of
representatives members-elect that one aspirant for the position of Speaker
from north-east apart from bribing members-elect with huge amounts of money is
also offering jeeps to members-elect if they will commit to electing him as the
speaker,” he said.

“How can APC elected representatives descend so low as to be
using unethical methods of cash-and-carry to mobilise support for their
aspirations?

“The two senators-elect who are being alleged to be involved
in such unethical methods are both Muslims from the north-west.”