SOUTHERN Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) has rejected the Muslim-Muslim governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State for the 2023 general elections.

Spokesperson of SOKAPU, Luka Binniyat, said, yesterday, that the Southern Kaduna people would not support any political party, who has no respect for religion and ethnic configuration of the state.

Besides, the APC gubernatorial flagbearer, Sen. Uba Sani, and Governor Nasir el-Rufai confirmed the nomination of the deputy governor, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, as Sani’s running mate, in their verified Facebook pages, on Monday.

Reacting to the development, Luka said: “SOKAPU has made it clear that any political party, which does not respect the religious and ethnic diversity of Kaduna, will not have the support of SOKAPU and by extension the Southern Kaduna people. We believe that, from both north and south of Kaduna, there are very qualified Christians and Muslims that can be used as running mates of any political party.

“Kaduna has some of the most highly exposed and advanced minds in Nigeria and to say that only one religion is qualified to produce the governor is insulting, provocative, divisive and as such does not promote our unity and diversity. We will guard our people against any party that produces a candidate of the same religion.”

According to him, if el-Rufai were a governor of justice or inclusiveness, he would know that the Muslim population of Southern Kaduna is far less than the Christian population.

“If he is able to find a qualified Muslim in Southern Kaduna, he can equally find 100 of such qualified Christians in there. But because he wants to despise Southern Kaduna and tell them that their votes amount to nothing, he decided to pick a Muslim from the minority in Southern Kaduna and made her deputy governor.”