>
…Nominee cut short for comments on Boko Haram
The ministerial nominee from Oyo State, Barr. Adebayo Shittu, has explained the reason he lost the 2011 governorship election to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, saying it was because the people of Southwest preferred the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) at the time.
He gave the explanation during his screening at the Senate today Tuesday.
Shittu contested under the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) at the time.
He said: “I lost because the people of Southwest had made up their mind to go for the ACN. Nevertheless, I polled 15,000 votes, the highest for any CPC governorship candidate in the entire Southwest and perhaps in the entire southern Nigeria. Even the the candidate of the then All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) which was a bigger party in a way, scored 2,000 votes. With all humility, that showed my popularity. So, my failure was not about myself but about the fact that people of Southwest were determined to allow ACN succeed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He also said that he was never indicted by any commission. He dad he was not advised.
According to him, he was in Saudi Arabia as at the time of the crisis for which he was allegedly inducted. Even for those indicted in the crisis, Shittu said another government gazette was released granting them pardon.
Shittu also said he would not subscribe to any move to force people to practice any particular religion.
Even if Boko Haram people claim to be Muslims, all they have been doing are against Islam. Their acts are antithetical to Islam. So, I don’t consider them to be Muslims. If you claim to be a Muslim and kill people that have not offended, it is clear that you are not one. But I don’t want to go further because I still have family members to take care of.”
This last sentence threw the Senate into laughter, and sensing security sensitivity, Shittu was immediately cut short and discharged.