SENATE PRESIDENT ELECTION AND RELIGIOUS IDENTITY POLITICS
- The Senate President election is a classic example on how politicians wield religion as they want, and use it to mask their own interests.
Take Orji Uzor Kalu for example, he advocated thay since the President&VP were both Muslims,the Senate President,should go to a Christian Southerner.
Okay! Fair Enough.
Everyone already knew Speaker was being contested between NC/NW,so,it was going to be a Muslim anyways.
When APC decided to back a Christian,in Godswill Akpabio, Orji Uzor Kalu refused blatantly.
If the Christian wasn’t going to be himself,then everything should scatter.
He couldn’t even contest for the seat,at least on matters of principle.
He decided to ally against the Christian,(Akpabio), and move with Yari,a Muslim,so 1,2,3,4 would be Muslims as long as he was Deputy Senate President.
So,rather than a Christian become the No.3 person in the country,Orji Uzor Kalu, was prepared to sacrifice him,to become No.5 man! Waawu.
Take Senator Elisha Abbo,from Adamawa. After Tinubu picked Kashim Shettima as VP,he railed against it,that he wasn’t going to support a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
When a chance came for a Christian in Senate Presidency, he was the Campaigm DG ,for Abdulazeez Yari,the Muslim , apparently because he was guaranteed Juicy committees with Yari,than Akpabio.
What is hilarious is seeing some Senators from Enugu,Plateuau,(Southern Kaduna),Delta voting Yari,just because it aligned with their interests.
The ironic thing though,is that these same politicians after working to sabotage the Christian who was supposed to be No.3 (had they succeeded), would have gone back to their constituencies to lament that “APC was marginalising Christians”.
They would then use such anti-Muslim sentiments to win votes again from their constituencies. It is a feedback loop.
You will then see Olympic Gold Medalists in conspiracy theories like Bosun Emmanuel, Feyi Daniels, or Apostle Johnson Suleiman disturbing your earlobes with ridiculous takes of one 1989 Abuja Conference where Muslims resolved to take over Nigeria.
They will conveniently forget the likes of Orji Uzor Kalu, Elisha Abbo,and several “Middle-Belt” Senators who will rather sabotage a fellow Christian,if they won’t be picked for a position..
The rules of the game is self interest!
– Karounwi Adini
