Even if Pope is my running mate, Christians won’t vote for me, says el-Rufai

Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State says he is aware that 67 per cent of Christians in southern Kaduna will not vote for him in the governorship election even if he picks the Pope as his running mate.

He added that there was a need for competence to be given priority ahead of religion and ethnicity, hence his decision to run with a Muslim/Muslim ticket in the 2019 governorship election.

El-Rufai, who was a guest on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily programme on Thursday, said Nigeria ought to divorce religion from politics.

The governor, who is a Muslim, had come under harsh criticisms from the Christian Association of Nigeria and other interests groups for picking a Muslim as running mate.

El-Rufai, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, said even his outgoing deputy, Yusuf Bala Bantex, who is a Christian, was treated like an outcast because he was in the APC.

Defending his action, however, el-Rufai said, “What if I tell you that no matter who I choose as my running mate, even if I choose the Pope, 67 per cent of the Christians in southern Kaduna have made up their minds that they will never vote for me.”

– Punch