The Northern Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) has again sounded a note of warning to the frontline political parties that they should take the country’s diversity into consideration in the choice of running mates for their presidential candidates.
NOSCEF expressed this in its Democracy Day message which is signed by its President, Engr. Ejoga Oyinehi Inalegwu, which was made available to newsmen in Kaduna Friday, warning that Muslim-Muslim, Christian-Christian tickets would amount to being insensitive to the reality with Nigeria.
“We therefore appeal to all patriotic Presidential Candidates to avoid manipulative but dangerous and insensitive Muslim/ Muslim ticket or Christian/Christian ticket that will further polarize the nation along religious lines when Nigerians are looking forward, with great expectations for a new dawn, come 2023.
“A new era and government devoid of politics of exclusion, discrimination and injustice,” NOSCEF said in the statement.
NOSCEF indicated that it has watched with keen interest, particularly the emergence of various Presidential candidates on the platform of various parties for the 2023 general elections in Nigeria, congratulating the candidates in their victories. the parties.
“As the parties therefore, make efforts to meet the deadline for the submission of their presidential and vice-presidential candidates, NOSCEF wants to again appeal to political parties to be sensitive to the mood of the nation, the religious diversity of our people and show patriotism by avoiding any action that will throw up our lines of divide, merely to win elections rather than steps that will unite our nation.
“We want to believe that anyone with the credentials to rule this nation from 2023, should be sensitive enough and not be a candidate that would take us back to our religious divides, through the instrument of Christian/Christian ticket or Muslim/Muslim ticket. We do not expect any patriot to, by so doing, again open the wounds for our past bitter religious divides.
“We need, as a nation, a united front to forge a new Nigeria, that will bring people together across religious divides because we do not lack quality across the religious and regional divides,” it insisted.
The group said that politicians should make deliberate efforts at avoiding playing the religious cards through such tickets and not turn around to accuse those who condemn their unpatriotic action as the culprits.
Away from politics, the statement described the Sunday church killings in Owo as barbaric and stands highly condemned.
“NOSCEF joins all Nigerians of conscience to condemn yet another barbaric invasion of a place of worship to commit mass murder as witnessed in St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
“We appeal to the security apparatus of state to collaborate with the regional security outfit, Amotekun, to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to face the consequences of their heinous crime against humanity,” the group said.
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