Chukwu David 
One of the contenders for the presidency of the Sen- ate in the 10th National Assembly, Senator Sani Musa, has expressed his willingness to sacrifice his ambition to run for the number three highest political office in the country on religious considerations.
Musa, who stated this yesterday when he appeared on Morning Show, aired by the Arise News Channel, said that he was willing and ready to make the sacrifice in the interest of unity and peaceful coexistence of Nigeria. He, however, said the only condition that could make him consider the position of the Deputy President of the Senate, was if a competent Chris- tian aspirant who is running for the office of Sen- ate President convinced him to step down, with genuine reasons. The politician de- scribed Nigeria as a secular nation and stressed the need to ensure balance between the two main religions in the country in distribution of political positions. He noted that the tension that heralded the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate and his running mate should be avoided in the race for the Senate Presidency. In the current arrangement, the National Chair- man of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; and the Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, are Muslims.
Musa said: “For the exigencies of our time, looking at the volatile situation of what has generated the Muslim-Muslim ticket in this country, I am one person that believes in the secularity of one Nigeria. I am one person that believes that, for ev- ery reason, there should be give and take in this country. We have lived with both Christians and Muslims. Some of us still have relatives that are still Christians and Muslims.
“Our fore fathers envisaged a country where we would all live together. I will not have any problem seeing a qualified, competent personality like me in the Senate who has also presented himself for the office of the Senate President and asked me please to drop my ambition for him; I will do it.
“There is a position of Deputy Senate President, which also is a presiding officer in the National Assembly. I will be willing to do it if it’s going to be in the best interest of Nigerians and if it’s going to be in the best interest of the zone I am going to represent. There’s no commitment or sacrifice too much to make to keep the unity this country de- serves,” he said.
