VP Sambo Drops Dangerous Statement During Niger Rally

Political atmosphere comes to the boil in Nigeria ahead of the
upcoming elections, and the war of words is observed mostly
between the major competitors, the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to Daily Trust, this time a controversial statement
was made by Nigeria's Vice President Muhammed Namadi
Sambo.
Speaking February 3 in Minna, Niger State, during the
presidential campaign, Sambo noted that the PDP has
more Muslims in its leadership than the APC. However, he urged
voters not to be guided by the principle of religion in making
their choice.
Sambo, who spoke in Hausa, said:
"When people bring the issue of religion to deceive you, our
party has more Muslims than APC. Therefore if this (is) the
yardstick, we then have an edge.
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"Our chairman is a Muslim; the Director General of our
campaign is a Muslim likewise. I Namadina Namadina Sambo
am a Muslim. It is only our presidential candidate that is a
Christian.
"In APC, their chairman is a Christian, their Campaign Director
General is a Christian and the Vice President is a Pastor. Now
let me ask you, which between the parties has more Muslims?
"Nigeria belongs to both Christians and Muslims. During
Tafawa-Balewa, he worked with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe a
Christian, during Shagari he worked with Alex Ekweme,
Obasanjo with Atiku, Late Umaru Yaradua with Dr. Goodluck
Jonathan and now Goodluck with Namadi."
Aminu Gamawa, Lawyer and Public Affairs Commentator, who
shared the video with this extract from Sambo's speech on
Facebook, commented it as follows:
"Is this the lowest moment of the campaign season? Sambo
campaigns against Christians in Niger State.
"Even by Nigerian standards, it is not everyday that one sees a
national politician openly campaign on the basis of religion and
when he is being recorded and beamed live on television. It
hardly ever happens.
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"But in the last three weeks, that has been the default rhetoric of
Nigeria's number two citizen, vice president Namadi Sambo.
"In several states in the North, whenever the VP gets on the
stage to speak, he talks about how he is a devout Muslim who
has sponsored so many to Mecca. Recently, he has taken to
telling his audience that whereas Buhari was the only major
Muslim in the APC end, Pres. Jonathan is the only major
Christian in the PDP side of things, which means that the PDP is
the party that is most suited to cater to the needs of
Northerners.
"In the video below from the campaign of the PDP in Niger state
today, the vice president, who spoke in Hausa, told the crowd
that the APC's national chairman, John Oyegun, is a Christian;
its DG of the campaign, Rotimi Amaechi is also a Christian; and
its running mate, Yemi Osinbajo is a pastor and Christian.
Truly amazing that the VP would try to win votes and incite the
crowd using such rhetoric.
Source: Channels TV and Scoop
"This strategy of using religion to divide people and get votes is
not only ineffective, it is counterproductive and dangerous. PDP
is telling Christians not to vote for Buhari because he is Muslim
and APC is Muslim party. The same PDP is telling Muslims that
APC is a Christian party and only Buhari is a Muslim in the
party. This is unacceptable. That is why we must vote for
change. PDP under Jonathan has polarized and divided
Nigerians."
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Many Nigerians expressed their rage over the speech in the
comments to the post.
Sunday Akoji called Sambo "a disgrace to the office he
occupies".
Bukar Umaru responded to Gamawa's question:
"No this is unacceptable, meaningless and undemocratic. Mr.
Sambo, please If you don't have something to tell people, just
keep quite. I completely lost respect in you."
Andrew Ajayi lamented over the focus on religion, which
according to him is dangerous to the country.
"These politicians are nearing to ruin and disintegrate Nigeria
by all such comments on campaign podiums. Emphasizing
tribalism and religion will set our country on fire. Oh God please
protect Nigeria, save our nation from the hands of desperate and
selfish politicians. Pray for non violence my people!"
Hauwa Hamisu Abubakar also expressed fear that such claims
trigger violence [although the politicians reached an
agreement to avert statements that might cause violence -
Naij.com].
"Namadi Sambo is indirectly inciting violence otherwise why wl
he campaign on the basis of religion? What he just said could
set the nation ablaze, he should be held responsible if the
elections turn violent. The other day he made a fool of himself in
Kano and now this?"