Dr.

In response to Tinubu's comment accusing Saraki of scheming against him in 2014, the former presidential aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, declared this.

During a meeting with delegates in Ogun State, Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, said that Saraki and others blocked his wish to be Buhari's running mate in the 2015 elections because he was a Muslim.

In response, Saraki said in a statement issued by Yusuph Olaniyonu, the head of his media office, that he would always oppose any scheme that could lead to a religious crisis in a multi-religious society like Nigeria.

President Buhari, according to Saraki, is a Muslim who should not have another Muslim as his running partner.

"It was not a decision targeted at any individual or group when I and other leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) stood against having a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2014; it was a decision taken in the national interest."

"Let me be clear: my choice to oppose some people's intentions to have the APC offer a Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2015 was in the national interest, and I will bear the consequences."

My stance is based on the fact that such a ticket is not good for the unity of the country and will further accentuate one of our fault lines.

“The opposition to a Muslim-Muslim ticket was not targeted at Tinubu or any other person. "It was a decision that even all party leaders know helped the victory of the party and also worked for the unity of the country," he said.

Saraki was a member of the ruling party when President Buhari won the 2015 presidential election.