The Northern States Christian Elders Forum has warned Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate and his party against using money to cause divisions among Christians.
The elders forum issued the warning in a statement by its chairman, Oyinehi Inalegwu, on Tuesday.
“We warn APC to stop using monetary incentives to recruit and cause divisions amongst the Christians, especially in the North,” the statement said in part.
“NOSCEF is concerned that apart from the failure of the desire of the architects of the single faith ticket to cause serious divisions in the forthcoming elections, APC has resorted to clandestine ways of causing division in the body of Christ by recruiting hitherto unknown bodies in the Body of Christ to counter decisions taken by the umbrella body, CAN and its various organs.
The elders pointed out that in December 2021, Tinubu met with a group in Abuja and sold the Muslim-Muslim Ticket.
“We warned that every patriotic Presidential aspirant should avoid the same faith ticket to avoid polarisation of the nation further along religious lines.
“Before the Commencement of the primaries, NOSCEF again warned presidential aspirants against the one faith ticket in a Nigeria begging for unity, inclusiveness, fairness, and justice.
“Because there was a long term goal and a purpose to be accomplished, APC went ahead with the single faith venture, with the aim of riding on the wings of divisive religious politics to victory,” the statement said.
The group expressed dismay over the show of shame the ruling party is involved in, following desperate efforts to attract public goodwill and acceptance by engaging strange Christian groups for endorsement purposes.
“We frown at the publicity they use to their advantage, to make public ridicule of Christian bodies, particularly in the North, for the purpose of causing disaffection, just to win the election.
“We all know as Christians, Muslims, and people of other faith, that unity, fairness, justice, and inclusiveness will engender National progress, rather than the war of divisive religious, political game, intended through the instrumentation of same faith ticket.
“Christian and Muslim faithful should disappoint divisive self seeking politicians, who want to capitalize on our religious differences to gain political power.”
