…Felicitates with Muslims
Yemi Adedeji, Abuja
THE Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has cautioned the Police, the Department of Security Services, the Army, the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other security agencies that are involved in the conduct of election to shun partisanship.
The Nigeria’s Christian body also advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to make sure all eligible voters are allowed to register, with no hidden agenda.
Adebayo Oladeji, Special Assistant on Media and Communications to Ayokunle Olasupo, the CAN President, in a statement also urged the electoral body to go and study how elections are conducted in a country like Ghana under a free and fair atmosphere that is better than ours.
It expressed worried over the vote-buying culture that has characterised all the recently conducted elections, describing it as a shame of international proportion.
Ahead of 2019 elections, the Christian body challenged politicians to stop vote buying, perpetrating violence, blood-letting and other evils associated with campaign and election.
It said it is regrettable to note that many of the politicians are not aspiring to serve, but to amass wealth at the expense of the generality of Nigerians, stressing that this is why election has become a do-or-die affair.
CAN said: “we wish to caution the Police, the Department of Security Services, the Army, the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other security agencies that are involved in the conduct of election to shun partisanship.
“We wish to They should remain apolitical for the sake of the country, after all leaders will come and go but Nigeria will remain.”
The christian body also congratulated Muslims across the country as they rejoice in the Sallah’s celebration, saying may God deliver the country from whatever bondage it’s in and may the peace and unity of this country become the watchword of our leaders at all levels.
CAN noted; ” CAN rejoices with the Muslim Ummah in the country as they celebrate this year Eid-al-Adha otherwise known as the Festival of Sacrifice. It is needless to remind our Muslim brothers and sisters that the festival is to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God who commanded him to do so with a view to tempting him.
“CAN urges all Nigerian Muslims to remember this sacrificial lifestyle of Abraham as they rejoice and celebrate. They should know that no sacrifice is too great to promote peace, harmony, love, unity, forgiveness and accommodation in their relationship with those who are non-Muslims.
“God must have reasons for allowing both Christianity and Islam to co-exist in the country. We appeal to the adherents of both religions to embrace peace and love. Once this is done, most of the ongoing killings in Nigeria will become history; after all both religions traced their sources to Father Abraham. If we are both his children, what joy do we derive in killing ourselves? Abraham was a man of peace and faith, it is high time we followed his footsteps.”
CAN said it wondered why some state governments in the North would literally declare war or hatred on Christianity.
“For example, most of them has it as a policy not to give Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) to churches with a view to denying them places of worship, when the 1999 Constitution (as Amended) allows freedom of worship and association.
“This is not so in the Christian dominated states in the South. This policy must be discarded to promote peace and unity.