Reject Muslim-Muslim Ticket or Be Rendered Politically Irrelevant, Northern Christian Elders Tell Members

John Shiklam in Kaduna

The Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) has asked Christians to reject the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023 or be rendered irrelevant in the political equation of Nigeria.

Chairman of the forum, Ejoga Inalegwu, stated this in his address at the congress meeting of the forum, which was held yesterday in Kaduna.

Inalegwu called on lovers of Nigeria to reject politics of exclusion that are mindful of regional balance but insensitive to faith inclusion.

He said: “Unpatriotic politicians will use any formula they can apply to win the election, whether it hurts or not and promise to placate as APC is doing after all the pleas.

“They will discard any formula that makes them the loose election in the future.

“Make the single faith ticket unattractive for the future, by killing it now or render yourselves forever an irrelevant commodity in the election equation for the future”.

According to him, “people easily persuaded by personal and selfish gains to the destruction of the body will be a Judas to the Christendom.

Let us be men and women of principles and loyalty to God.

“We enjoin all lovers of Nigeria across faith to reject the single faith ticket to frustrate politics of exclusion that is mindful of regional balance but insensitive to faith inclusion”.

He lamented the security challenges in the North, which had taken a toll on the activities of the forum.

Also speaking, the guest speaker at the occasion, Prof. Josiah Onaolapo, said the 2023 general election is a threat to the political viability of northern Christians.

He called on the Northern Christians to take their destiny into their hands or be wiped out politically.

“We must mobilise our people to vote in 2023 as if our lives depend on it.

“If you allow the door to close against northern Christians, the door will be closed forever.

“There is no state in the north that does not have about 30 per cent of its population as Christians, including Sokoto and Zamfara states.

“What are we doing with our population? It is time to use our number to bring about political change”, Onaolapo said.

Speaking further, he said, “It is a known fact that Muslims in the north will always vote for their brothers.

“Unfortunately, I have seen that when it is the turn of the North to get the Presidential slot, Christians will gravitate around northern Muslims.

“When it is time for the South, we gravitate around Southern Christians. Is it not a shame?

“Does it mean we don’t have Christians in the North that can be president?

“A party said that Northern Christians are politically worthless in Nigeria; that was why they choose another Muslim as Vice Presidential candidate.

“Do you blame them? The answer is that they see you as purchasable.

“The 2023 general election is a threat to the political viability of the northern Christians. We must mobilise our people as if our lives depend on them.

“If you allow the door to close against northern Christians, the door is closed forever.

If we allow the door to be closed against Christians in Kaduna, the door is closed forever.”