The former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung, during an interview with The Punch correspondent, discussed the ongoing defections to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the removal of fuel subsidy, and efforts by the Northern region to prevent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu from securing re-election in the 2027 presidential election.
When he was told that there were reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has divided the Northern region, with the northern minorities supporting the President, while the core northerners are against him, Solomon Dalung while reacting to this said that northern Christians campaigned with religion in 2023 by opposing Muslims. He explained that himself and others took their stand not because they were against Muslims but because the Muslim-Muslim ticket violated the country’s multicultural nature.
He emphasized that Nigeria is a multicultural society, and expressed his belief that Tinubu could not justify selecting only a Muslim as his deputy from the entire northern region, which includes Muslims, Christians, traditionalists, and free thinkers. who opposed the decision.
Further talking, he said, “But currently, Tinubu’s wife is going around minorities, or the northern Christians, and misinforming them or luring them with this argument that the northern Muslims have rejected Tinubu, so they should come and own the President. And because we are a gullible community, we have jumped into it.”
He questioned the northern Christians, asking how they could justify accepting a visit from Tinubu’s wife after they had campaigned against the Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2023. He pointed out that they had misled people by opposing the ticket on religious grounds and asked whether the Muslim-Muslim situation had changed.