 Foremost Islamic human rights group, Muslim Rights Concern, urges Muslim aspirants vying for the position of the president of the 10th Senate to withdraw from the race in order to allow for a southern Christian. And federal government threatens to replace striking doctors with ad hoc staff. This is Plus Politics and I am Mary Anna Cohn. The Muslim Rights Concern group has urged Muslim aspirants vying for the position of the president of the 10th Senate to withdraw from the race in order to allow for a southern Christian. The executive director Murik Professor Ishaq Akintala said in a statement on Thursday. Murik noted that it wants the Senate presidency to go to a Christian from the south because Nigeria needs the cooperation of both Muslims and Christians for collaboration to engender peace and development. The group therefore called on Muslims vying for the post to withdraw from the Senate presidential race. Joining us to discuss this is Professor Ishaq Akintala, he is the director Murik. Thank you so much Professor for joining us and good evening. You are my friend. Alright. You are my friend. Thank you for joining us. Let's… What? Can you hear me? Yes, I can hear you. Perfect. But I want to ask, you know that of course the leadership race for the National Assembly has been thrown open even though the party, the ruling party, the APC has somewhat thrown its weight behind certain people they think they would prefer as leaders in the National Assembly. But as of some days ago, Mr. Yari had said that the formula of zoning in the National Assembly wasn't fair and that's because he's also in the running. What are your thoughts? Can you hear me? Yes. Hello. Yes. Can you hear me? Yes. Well, concerning the Assembly, we believe that if it is only fair and just to spread the message, if people are like he said, political force, they have the best thing to do. As long as the president is a ruling, he decides it's going to be, it's not for simple. Not for simple. It's not for simple. It's not for simple. Okay. Professor Ishaq, I'm going to have to jump to the next question. Professor Ishaq, I'm going to have to jump in here because I can barely hear what you're saying but I'm going to try again here. Governor Abdulaziz Yari who is obviously also running for that position has had a few words about the unfortunate zoning process in the National Assembly. We're going to take a listen and hopefully we can fix your audio so I can hear what you have to say. Let's take a listen. My party, but I know they are intellectuals. What the lawyer says, the lawyer says no one has the constitutional power or is a kind of exclusive power to me and my colleagues to decide on our leaders. Are there any wrong when I say that I want them to choose me? I don't say wrong because I'm doing the exercise, I'm exercising the constitutional responsibility. So I'm not kicking anything against my party or against anyone. But I'm saying that I'm trying to get the indulgence of my colleagues to cross to me and hire me. And at the same time I did the rule wrong somewhere, the hire me. So the hiring and hiring is the responsibility of, at least the responsibility of members of the coalition. I'm not kicking against my party. But I know them. It's still plus politics and we're still being joined by Professor Ishaq Akinthala who is the director for Murek. Now Professor, before we went on that quick break, we're still talking about the issue of zoning. Now that you are saying that you'd prefer for a non-Muslim, a Christian from the south to occupy that position, that means that we're now bringing religious sentiments into something that should be mostly about merit or capability to run for a particular office. And former Governor Yari who's also in the running for this, who obviously is a Muslim, has said that this has nothing to do with the party or picking persons, that he feels that the responsibility should be given to him by members of the Senate, only by their votes as opposed to what you're calling for. Is that not also one way or the other, bringing issues of religious sentiments into the whole game? I think Nigeria is this real country. We will never be able to drive without our thinking. Whether we are doing politics, whatever we are doing, we are talking about vote. We think it's about human creation. The creation of all living species. Can't get it out of our system, even if we prepare it to be a non-Muslim. So people say we don't want to bring religion into this. We don't want to bring religion into that. But every Sunday, every Friday, every month, every Tuesday, every evening, it is here and everywhere. I want that man to not speculate it. He doesn't decide if everyone wants to protect any dogma or everybody that's talking about it. We don't spoke our mind and we don't want to relate it to any government or any politician. It is just a good thing. Muslims are independent. That is right there. Next, let's talk about religion. We are prepared to share good positions with all Muslims. It's not the all Muslims. It's the all dogs, not the people. All roads, the roads we use, the electricity we consume, the transport system that we use. Some of them belong to only Christians or Muslims alone. So when we take the train, we don't have any guidance for Muslims. I don't want to tell you, but Christians, especially the country, they take the Muslim as a Christian. Let me ask. Let me ask. Let me come in. Let me come in. Let the Christians have their way. Okay. Let me come in there, Professor. Professor, you are one of those people who supported the Tinibu Shatimat ticket. Where was the fair play there? Come again. You supported the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC, which we now have as the President and Vice President-elect. Where was the place of fairness to all in all of that? Because I remember you were on this station making that argument. But now you're pushing for the Christians to be given an opportunity. Where was this sentiment at the time when the APC was fielding that ticket? How would you, how would you, how would you accept it now? We supported Muslim-Muslim tickets, because the President-elect of the APC decided to be supported there, that would be the best opportunity to put this number of supporters and vote in. That is the strategy. The sentiment, not the opinion. He was not thinking of taking the vote. He was not thinking of taking the vote. People like you, who are thinking, oh, he disbanded the Muslim. Now he has taken the vote. Why now? Because of this meditation. So the compassion in the world, you have the movement of people. In the worldwide, why not? How do you think there is much more silence to it than to be obliged? And why should I kill that many conductors of religious and personal? One of the first days, and you now come to play out, so we just give him the last vote because he participated. And that was why he died. Why didn't you pray? I hope you will not vote back. Provocative, public servant, congestion, affiliations, people will not have... And Professor, that's the question that I'm still asking. I don't think that you get me. If we see ourselves as Nigerians first as opposed to Christian or Muslim and see competence, why should we even be having this conversation in the first place? Why is it that when it comes to issues of leadership, we begin to bring in religious sentiments and ethnic sentiments? Why can't it be about people who are able to do the job as opposed to what God they worship? Because this is the position that you brought into this conversation. Exactly what I was saying. We don't need to bring into this conversation. But you have brought it. The governor of the state will look for... People, if he has a good example of running a big movement, he will look for... He will not be looking for different planetarists or Muslims. He will not have some... He will not be looking for different planetarists He will not have some... He will not have... He will not be looking for different planetarists because of the nature of our culture. We are multi... We are multi-trials. We do not need the religion of the people and good governance. Talking about good governance here and of course I want to bring the APC and the National Assembly here. The APC had put out a statement earlier on talking about who they preferred as their candidates for the positions of the speaker of the National Assembly and the Deputy Speaker and the Deputy Senate President. There are many who have also kicked against the party making known who their preferred candidate is as opposed to allowing for internal democracy to happen with the Senate and of course the House of Representatives. What are your thoughts on the party's position? I will not be going for it. I want it to be understood. The question belongs to each other and I don't belong to anyone. So I cannot judge the actions or decisions if it is not possible to do because politics is important in politics like in religion. We are going to say that in much life we must follow. In politics we must follow. But also if you want to judge the people concerning their political issues you have not been to me. I don't want to fall into all the pieces for now. Because you are a religious leader as a religious leader a professor of a great reputation let's talk about the personalities of these people who have been put out by the party again. Let's talk about the likes of God's will and his deputy or Mr. Abbas on the floor of the House of Representatives who is from the south south south west I beg your pardon let's look at their personalities because you talked about competence and the ability to do the job do these men reflect people who are competent enough to lead this country whatever happens after May 29 all rests on the shoulders of these law makers and it's either we're going forward or we're regressing. What are your thoughts? Because that may be clear I have never been a political neither have I been a political leader a political leader unknown to me and if I'm a political leader to join them May 29 May 29 I will just be a secret I want to contribute because I'm not a political leader I'm not a political leader because I'm not a political leader I believe that you're being economical with the truth or you're just playing diversionary tactics here you're the one who's speaking about who should be picked what religion should be picked or should be considered for these positions but yet you'd rather not speak on the competence of the people who have been put forward confused or speak about the personalities but the people who you are advocating for are also persons, whoever they pick whether that person is Christian from the south or the west they're human beings their ability to deliver in those places that they're picked for not be of concern to you so you're interested in the zoning of political offices but you're not interested in the persons who these places or these positions are zoned to, you're not bothered about that you're most interested in the zoning of the offices but not interested in the persons who hold these offices okay well I want to say thank you Professor Ishaqa Kintala you're the director of MIRIK thank you so much for joining us and thank you for speaking with us well we'll take a short break and when we return we'll be discussing the ongoing five day warnings strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors and the position of federal government on this strike, stay with us