Christian Association of Nigeria warns Tinubu, Buhari’s party APC: “do not fly a Muslim-Muslim ticket… would set the nation against each other”
Special to USAfrica magazine (Houston) and USAfricaonline.com, first Africa-owned, US-based newspaper published on the Internet.
USAfrica: As Nigerians debate and weigh the options being presented to the country by the political parties especially for the presidential election scheduled for February 2023, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has, through its President Dr. Samson Ayokunle repeated its warning to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties to avoid fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket in the election. “While I congratulate the candidates, I must sound this warning, please do not fly a Muslim-Muslim ticket. It would not fly. It will not stand. Rather, it would set the nation against each other. The candidate who will emerge is the one who works with the Church. Please, do not alienate the church. If you embrace equity, fairness and justice, the Nigerian electorate will reward you with their votes at the polls and they will give you their support.”
The CAN President’s message which was delivered at the 2022 Democracy Day at the National Christian Centre in Abuja, by the Founder of Sword of The Spirit Ministries International, Bishop Francis Wale-Oke emphasized that: “You can only rule when there is a nation. In your campaigns, make sure you exalt fairness, justice and equity. If there is no righteousness, fairness and equity, we will remain divided. There is no fairness if a certain people from a certain ethnic group are reduced to second class citizens who cannot aspire to the highest office in the land.” He said that “We pray for an end to killing people in their place of worship. We pray for a nation that is united and where justice, fairness and equity reigns.”
A few days ago, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, the Kaduna State Governor and close ally of Nigeria’s President Buhari, said that there was nothing wrong with picking a Muslim running mate of the APC’s presidential candidate Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is also a Muslim. The Governor chose his fellow Muslim as deputy Governor; and hundreds of accusation of marginalization, violence and discrimination against christians have followed him for more than 7 years.
On his part, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Yola, Most Reverend Stephen Mamza, has also cautioned that the idea and argument for a Muslim-Muslim (President-Vice President) ticket for the APC would be exclusionary and disheartening. He argued that those who reference an example of the candidacy of the “presumed” winner of the 1993 election forget that the “Nigeria of 1993, during the time of Abiola and Kingibe, was completely different from Nigeria of today, heading into the 2023 elections…. So I wish to advise, especially the ruling party, to desist from going ahead with the idea of Muslim-Muslim ticket or Christian-Christian ticket. Why did they not decide to pick two people from the North, the reason is that you want to carry people along.”
USAfrica noted that our contacts within the APC, PDP, the Peter Obi-led Labour Party, APGA, NNPP and other parties indicate they are likely to announce their choices for Vice President beginning mid-June 2023. The choices are expected to have some implications for the campaigns, especially amidst deadly insecurities, ethnic violence, religion-based polarization and preferential realities being witnessed by Nigerians under the Buhari presidency.
