By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called on all party chairmen of political parties in the country to consider balancing by chosing alternative religious presidential running mates for their various parties.
CAN issued this warning in an open letter signed by the General Secretary of CAN, Joseph Bade Daramola to all National Chairmen of all the political parties.
In the open letter made available to Daybreak in Abuja, CAN said , “As the umbrella body of Christians in Nigeria, we call on all the presidential candidates to choose men or women of alternative religion as their running mates. ”
“For avoidance of doubt, the CAN will not accept any presidential ticket that is Christian-Christian or Muslim- Muslim. This simply means that where the presidential candidate of the party is a Christian, the deputy should be a Muslim; and where the presidential candidate is a Muslim, the deputy should be a Christian. ”
The Association emphasized that in choosing a running mate, there should not be a situation in which any presidential ticket of any political party in Nigeria would have two Christians as presidential candidate and running mates or two Muslims as presidential candidate and running mates.
With the crisis of religious fundamentalism and its mainstreaming into policymaking and administrative actions in Nigeria today, anything short of a Christian-Muslim or Muslim-Christian ticket is an undisguised effort to nurture religious conflicts and destabilize the country, the body stressed.
CAN noted that although the electoral law empowers members of the parties the exclusive right to choose the candidates that citizens will vote into political offices in 2023, this right it emphasized calls for a deep sense of responsibility and accountability.
Furthermore the body said while recognizing the right of political parties to decide on who becomes their candidates for general elections, said with such mandate “It requires that in exercising this right, party members be sensitive to the issues that confront the country and focus on promoting the common good.”
“This minimum requirement for a valid presidential ticket in the Nigeria of today is that it is religiously diverse.”
‘We are relieved that so far, we have not received news of massive violence and tragedies arising from these primaries.”
The Christian body however congratulated all the parties for concluding their primaries in a peaceful manner, adding that Nigeria must be doused of religious and ethic tension.
