Engaging presidential candidates, Bakare advises Christian leaders

•CAC preaches PVCs, ex-AG of Oyo hails emergence of Shettima•Ticket of same faith reopens North's old wound, says PDP leader

Citadel Global Community Church Duty Overseer, Pastor Tunde Bakare yesterday warned Nigerians against the politics of ethnicity and religion next year.

Speaking on the Muslim-Muslim All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket, involving Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, the cleric, who took part in the party's primary, advised citizens to prioritize nation building.

Noting that the ticket was met with vehement opposition, Bakare instructed Christian leaders to engage candidates with an open mind. He said: “Going forward, before 2023, we have to learn from our mistakes. Christian leaders must, at this stage, bring candidates and their running mates to the negotiating table with an open mind and on the basis of a clearly articulated charter for nation building and national development. »

The cleric added that the moment calls on every Nigerian to renew their commitment to the nation. He said such a strategic engagement would recall the interventions of the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) in 2010, when it engaged the presidential candidates on the basis of rescuing and transforming Nigeria.

Bakare advised Christian leaders to interview development candidates and convene a strategic competition to set minimum standards in all areas of governance.

He suggested guidelines for engagement in nation building that must be done before September, when the campaigns officially begin. ALSO, the leadership of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) worldwide has urged the faithful to acquire their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

He also pleaded with Nigerians to intensify prayers for the rescue of Nigeria. Church President, Pastor Henry Ojo and Prophet Richard Kolawole of CAC Arogungbogunmi, Ibadan shared the thought yesterday at the 26th anniversary of CAC Arogungbogunmi International.

Specifically, Ojo said that as the 2023 general election approaches, Nigerians should pray for a man after God's own heart as president. He called on citizens to pray for insecurity.

On the same ruling party religious ticket, Ojo said, "Naturally the choice is not acceptable in the condition we find ourselves in Nigeria today, as Nigerians no longer believe in unity of this country. Religion and tribe have divided us. I believe that since we have two major religions in Nigeria, they should consider Christians."

"But, the choice is ours. We should have our PVCs. We know (parties) who have a Christian-Muslim ticket. After praying for God's will to be done, the choice is ours. Nigerians are the ones who will decide who will be there. There is no need to argue or fight. The more we fight, the more enmity we create."

The host, Prophet Kolawole, said, “My message for Nigerians is that we must pray fervently because the country is at a crossroads. Nigeria is in a state of confusion. What we have need now is to pray for God to give us a direction, not for a party and not for a candidate. People should ask God what to do next."

FURTHER, the former Accountant General of Oyo State under the administration of the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Dr. Olagoke Salami hailed the emergence of Shettima.

The National Boss/South West Big Boss of the National Coalition of Tinubu Support Groups (NCTSC), in a statement, said the selection of the former Borno State Governor "is of auspicious and a combination that would move the nation forward."< /p>

HOWEVER, a leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State, Chief Jonathan Sunday Akuns, says the same religious post has reopened an old wound in the North.

He argued that although Nigerians still draw attention to the Fulani and Hausa as the main ethnic groups in the North West region, the elite relies on Islam for governance and excludes the same ethnic and regional cohorts that are Christian.

Now that "this is the model that some speakers want to implement nationally," Akuns said it tends to create instability.

He noted, "All elected leaders in the North are Fulani Muslims, but none of them have ever appointed a Fulani or Hausa Christian from the North West region to a government post. Why?< /p>

“Apart from appointments, Hausa and Fulani Christians in the North West region are still discriminated against in all spheres of life, why? When other regions and ethnic groups adopt the model of the North West region, Islamic clerics will cry hoax, why?"