Muhammad Kabir, KANO 
A group, Patriotic Elders Network for Peace and Justice in Nigeria, has attacked the former Secretary to the Federal Government (SFG) Babachir Lawal for his condemnation of the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s same faith ticket for the 2023 presidential poll.
The ruling party’s presidential candidate Bola Tinubu and his running mate Kashim Shettima are both Muslims. The group’s National President, Bature AbdulAziz, said in a statement that Babachir’s comments on the same-faith candidacy could affect the peace of the country.
AbdulAziz said: “As a national figure who was once a high public officer with the approval and support of both Muslim and Christian citizens, he should be seen showing respect to other nationalities’ rights of political choice.
“However, in disregard to the high esteem and deep respect Nigerians have for you, you still occasionally speak as an ordinary per- son who does not know the importance of the unity and prosperity of this country, a conduct surely negatively influences your public image.”
He added: “Such behaviour of his directly correlates to a certain Northern governor who only makes headlines promoting disunity.” AbdulAziz said the politics of separation and segregation has been forgotten since 2000, adding that previous leaders have shunned these positions by encouraging unity and harmony in the country.
The group said: “We hope that incoming leaders will replicate and continue with such acts of patriotism. “Because at this point Nigeria does not need such backward behaviour, irrespective of religious, public office positions or even from an ordinary man on the street, this negativity should not be accepted or encouraged.
“The former secretary of the federation is definitely an advocate for division, especially through religious discussions for personal reasons. “We the patriotic elders condemn and motivate more positive discussions from public officials, rather than his kind of unpatriotic