The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Religion

  • Re: Political appointments in Ekiti State: Religion has no place

    The Ekiti State Chapter of the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO), in its reaction to Senior Citizen Deji Fasuan’s piece on Political appointments in Ekiti State: Religion has no place and published on September 3, condemns what it called his (Fasuan) misplaced views.

    JUST like our “highly revered leader and undisputed patriot”, Chief Deji Fasuan,  we would not have  dignified him with a reply on the highly misplaced views, he expressed in respect of the issue raised by the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Ekiti State Council, which was published in The Nation newspaper of Thursday, September 3rd, 2015.

    In the first place, Chief Deji Fasuan appeared to be edgy to the release for two reasons: one, because Governor Fayose, his godson was involved and two, because the appointments made by Governor Fayose unduly favoured his town, Afao – Ekiti.

    To our greatest consternation, Chief Fasuan shifted what is ordinarily a group matter to a personal matter. For the information of Chief Fasuan and his ilk, Alhaji Yakubu Sanni, the President of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Ekiti State Council, merely signed for the body, hence, the attack on the person of Alhaji Yakubu Sanni is most unwarranted, highly misplaced and quite mischievous. We demand an unreserved apology from the Chief.

    To properly situate our position in the interest of those who might have been misinformed by Chief Fasuan’s views published on page 6 of the Nation of Friday, September 4, 2015; the NSCIA had been compelled to react to Governor Fayose’s attack on the President, Muhammadu Buhari on account of violation of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the threat to the unity of the country just because in his opinion, the President’s appointment of 31 people into political offices out of which only 7 were from the southern part of the country is “lopsided”

    It is amazing that Chief Deji Fasuan did not see anything wrong in the opinion expressed by Governor Ayodele Fayose in this respect. While the Muslims are not holding brief for the President, we feel Chief Fasuan who had the time to reply to our opinion within 24 hours and who has such positive views about the President’s appointment could keep sealed lips until the Muslims’ reaction.

    In his first tour of duties in the state, Governor Fayose treated Muslims in Ekiti State the same shabby way. Governor Adeniyi Adebayo appointed Muslims into the offices of Commissioner, Permanent Secretary and other top positions in the public service. The Muslims felt short changed, and protested. Chief Fasuan was in Ekiti State then and he did not see anything wrong in the Muslims’ position. Governor Segun Oni had a Muslim as Deputy Governor, Commissioner and other appointments. Muslims felt they were not fairly treated and they reacted. Yet, our “revered father” did not see anything wrong with the opinions expressed by the Muslims.

    Governor Kayode Fayemi appointed over fifty (50) Muslims, including Commissioners, SSG, Special Advisers, Chairmen and members of statutory Commissions as well as Special and Senior Special Assistants into other strategic positions. Even though Muslims felt what they got was not enough, they saw the development as a significant improvement. If Papa wants to be fair, as he pretends to be, Governor Fayose would have picked some of Chief Fasuan’s Muslim relatives in Afao Ekiti and the Muslims would have been more than pleased. Governor Fayose has appointed 122 people into different offices in Ekiti out of which ONLY FOUR are Muslims. If Gov, Fayose sees the lopsidedness in the appointment of 31 people out of which 7 were southerners as infraction of the Constitution and threat to the unity of Nigeria, what do we call the action of Governor Fayose who made his appointment in complete contravention of section 14(4) and 15(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended. Section 15(2) in particular states; “Accordingly, national integration shall be actively encouraged whilst discrimination on the grounds of place of origin, sex, RELIGIOUS STATUS (emphasis ours), ethnic or linguistic association or ties shall be prohibited”.

    Though Pa Fasuan may not see any good in appointing Muslims into political offices in Ekiti State but Governor Fayose saw the need when he was campaigning and he dressed in turban and appeared in the Mosque before Muslim congregations and he promised to give Muslims fair consideration but alas, this is pure deceit! This was in the public domain and we are sure that Chief Deji Fasuan, as our very enlightened leader, is no doubt aware of this. When then is religion no longer a factor in the affairs of the state according to our revered Chief? We note that Chief Fasuan’s attack is on Islam and Muslims in Ekiti State we take exception to this.

    On a final note, we don’t know when Chief Deji Fasuan became the Information Commissioner to Governor Fayose or his  Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media. If Pa Fasuan is not, he should be more reserved rather than getting himself busy in matters in which he knows little or nothing about.

     

    Signed:

     

    Engr. Abdullah Adebayo- Amir, Muslim Student Society of Nigeria, Ekiti State

    Barrister Tajudeen Ahmed- National Legal Officer, National Council of Youth Muslim Organisations (NACOMYO)

     

     

     

  • ‘Include traditional religion in curriculum’

    Traditional rulers in Lagos state have appealed to the state government to allow the teaching of African traditional religion known as Ifa in the public school.

    Association of African Traditional Religion Secretary-General, Chief Awodiran Agboola said: “It is important we catch them young, it is very unfortunate that our children when they go to public schools, they get converted to either Christianity or Islam, so we are trying to make bring to government’s attention.”

    He said traditional religion should not be over look in the society, considering that it contribute to the progress and development of the state.

    “This will help create awareness that will exist and also prepare us for the August 20 African traditional festival, this seminar is just to educate our people that traditional religion is not fetish and barbaric we are also righteous people,” he said.

    Lagos State Council of Arts Culture Director Mrs Saidat Otulana, said the event will give the public opportunity to know the importance of culture and tradition.

  • Best religion for Nigeria

    SIR: Many times I wonder how life would have been in Nigeria if there were no religion other than the religion of love. Life might have been more organized than it is now. Love, after all is not learned but comes effortlessly from the heart unlike the other imported religions whose precepts you must learn and master. Many are riotous laws which when applied literally conflicts with the natural order of love.

    Did I hear you say what about our traditional religion? The gods have all gone to sleep and there are no more instant justices by the gods anymore when acts of wickedness are committed in the society. Traditional rulers have chosen to be ‘Pharaohs’ in a democracy and chiefs have all abdicated the village square for the cities. Now, many unattached ladies proudly breed children for different men whilst in their childhood homes and tradition accepts the disorder.

    At the present moment, many malevolent urchins have taken over shrines, and are interfacing on behalf of, the devil and Nigerian politicians – forever in search of fetishes for power to become elected officers.

    But the religion of love is the only religion that makes human beings have social conscience as a matter of course. So good that politicians see it as a stain on their moral conscience when they cannot use their influence and office to build mass housing schemes in Nigeria so we can have roof on our heads, makes them protect leaseholders from the abrasive increases by landlords who have maintained the status quo: the under 40 percent are not qualified to have land titles in their names.

    The religion of love encourages all people to love humankind without reservation such that the environment is very safe for people to back-package round the country to get to know Nigeria better, the same way our forebears did without the fear of being bushwhacked, sent to the gallows and eaten by man-eaters or killed by insurgents.

    Love never makes us forget national heroes such as Sebastian Brodericks Immasuen etc.

    Oh! Love makes statesmen from all geographical region rally country men in a united Nigeria for nationalism. And never go on a crying jag to denigrate regions, persons, dead – others alive, and paint them in ways that suggests that they were and are responsible for their predicament.

    Religion of love doesn’t make people conceited to celebrate the misfortunes of others, they never see the war on insurgency as that concerning other people – they rally the populace to condemn it and show support to all those affected.

    In kingdoms managed by precepts of love, there are no minorities, the life of the Nigerian is not worth less than that of the Asians and the Arabs in Nigeria – and citizens are not beaten by law-enforcement agents in the bid to protect these Lords of the Manor.

    Adherents of the religion know their neighbours, the landlords, tenants of all the houses on their street and they share gifts on special days.

    Nigeria need to embrace the religion of love. Others have taken us backwards many years.

     

    • Simon Abah,

    Port Harcourt.

  • Beyond mushy religion

    SIR: The most corrupt administration in Nigeria’s democratic dispensation coincidentally happens to be the most religious.  They preached prosperity theology.  Unfortunately, the burden of sustaining their ideology fell on the back of suffering masses.  The poor seems to be gullible.  Uplifting words that raise hope of escaping the mud of wretchedness win their conscience.  However religion in Nigeria has leapt beyond the bound of ignorance and stupor to bounce at the pedestal of social mainstream.

    A stranger visiting various markets, especially those in Onitsha, Anambra State, stands a chance of being unduly delayed.  Shops are not opened on time on certain days of the week because members of the line observe prayer service.  This could take up to two hours in the morning.  Imagine that you are driving for an emergency and your tyre ruptures and you want to run into the market to buy another one.  Upon arrival, you find the shops are cordoned off for prayers during business hours.

    One could find patience in watching a group of energetic men shouting praises in worship of their God.  The ambience subdues the instinct to be irrational.  Till business opens, the same prayer warriors will turn into the most shrewd and crooked traders.  Not truly all of them but when you have been cheated and sold bad products twice too many, you tend to paint these businessmen with a broad stroke.  You come to realize that there are different forces at work among these people.  The desperation to make money is distinctly separated from the desire to gain salvation.  Or the prayer is solely a part of the quest to get rich. And they comfortably inhabit these two spirits without seeing any form of conflict.

    Religion is nothing new.  As such, it must have a strong hold that binds people to it.  There is no culture that existed that did not have a semblance of religion.  The ritual of conducting oneself in a disciplined order loosely constitutes a form of worship.  The zealousness to confuse decent order of living in the name of religion becomes problematic.  We are all wired differently by our Maker.  Left only to our animal nature, we will destroy ourselves.  Attributes of goodness exist in all human beings.  These virtues have been strengthened through enlightenment.

    Different strokes for different folks.  Whatever belief system that appeals to one’s sentiments is understandable to rule one’s life.  It is not civilized to impose an alien doctrine over one’s spirit.  The consequences of such brainwash could lead to behaviours that are inimical to a grounded existence.  Thus you hear stories of pastors who impregnate young girls during private religious studies.  They convinced themselves that their belief system overpowers the erotic force.

    Let us worship the God of our understanding in separation from the discipline that allows society to function in a uniform manner.  One should show decency before religion.

    • Pius Okaneme,

    Umuoji, Anambra State.

  • Buhari’s ramadan message

    Buhari’s ramadan message

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Muslim faithfuls nationwide as they enter into the holy month of Ramadan.

    Buhari urged Muslims to use the period of Ramadan to promote love & peace as taught by the Holy Prophet Mohammed (SAW).

    The President called on Nigerians to pray for the return of peace, love and prosperity throughout the country as Muslims start the 2015 Ramadan fast.

    In a congratulatory message released on his behalf by the Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity), Garba Shehu, President Buhari implored Muslims to seek maximum benefits from the Ramadan period “by being helpful to all manner of people, learning and following the true message of the religion as taught by the Holy Prophet.”

    The President in his message directed an appeal to the perpetrators of violence and destruction in the name of Islam all over the world to desist from tarnishing the name of the religion.

    “As we make collective efforts to bring to a permanent end the menace of the Boko Haram in the Lake Chad basin countries, let me use this auspicious occasion to appeal to our misguided brothers to drop their arms, embrace peace and seek a better understanding of Islam during this Holy period and beyond,” Buhari said.

    The President prayed to Allah to bring peace and harmony to all parts of the country and the world at large.

    “I wish all our citizens a blessed Ramadan. Ramadan Kareem Mubarak,” the statement summed.

  • Ramadan: Buhari urges misguided brothers to embrace peace

    Ramadan: Buhari urges misguided brothers to embrace peace

    President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Muslim faithfuls nationwide as they enter into the holy month of Ramadan.

    Buhari urged Muslims to use the period of Ramadan to promote love & peace as taught by the Holy Prophet Mohammed (SAW).

    The President called on Nigerians to pray for the return of peace, love and prosperity throughout the country as Muslims start the 2015 Ramadan fast.

    In a congratulatory message released on his behalf by the Senior Special Assistant (Media and Publicity), Garba Shehu, President Buhari implored Muslims to seek maximum benefits from the Ramadan period “by being helpful to all manner of people, learning and following the true message of the religion as taught by the Holy Prophet.”

    The President in his message directed an appeal to the perpetrators of violence and destruction in the name of Islam all over the world to desist from tarnishing the name of the religion.

    “As we make collective efforts to bring to a permanent end the menace of the Boko Haram in the Lake Chad basin countries, let me use this auspicious occasion to appeal to our misguided brothers to drop their arms, embrace peace and seek a better understanding of Islam during this Holy period and beyond,” Buhari said.

    The President prayed to Allah to bring peace and harmony to all parts of the country and the world at large.

    “I wish all our citizens a blessed Ramadan. Ramadan Kareem Mubarak,” the statement summed.

     

  • CJN urges judges to separate religion from judicial activities

    CJN urges judges to separate religion from judicial activities

    The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Mahmud Mohammed, yesterday urged judges not to allow their religious inclination to becloud their sense of judgement.

    He reminded them that the country is comprised of diverse ethnic groups, languages, religious and cultures. He also advised the judges not to allow their religious inclination to affect their decisions in interpreting disputes bordering on customs.

    The CJN spoke in Abuja during an induction course for new judges and khadis, organised by the National Judicial Institute (NJI).

    “As you move from one judicial division to another, you must treat all court users with equal respect regardless of how different they are or how unpopular their cause may be. No matter how you feel about the religious implications of such alleged customs, so long as they comply with requisite legal and judicial tests prescribed, you must apply them in relevant cases,” Justice Mohammed said.

    He also urged judges to shun corruption. He said “the Nigerian judiciary is now more prepared and more poised than ever before to rid itself of all the ugly dirt inflicted on her by unscrupulous, fraudulent and corrupt persons occupying judicial offices in Nigeria.”

    Justice Mohammed said the National Judicial Council (NJC) and states’ Judicial Service Commissions have been adequately empowered to remove, with ignominy, any judicial officer or judicial staff that has chosen the path of dishonour to be corrupt and fraudulent.

    The Administrator of the NJI, Justice Rosaline Bozimo (rtd), reminded the judges that their primary responsibility was to interpret the law without bias, affection or ill will.

    She urged the judges to imbibe judicial values and to be epitome of morality, the bastion of the rule of the rule of law, the protector of the oppressed and the punisher of evil doers.

    Bomizo told the judges that members of the public were deeply interested in what they do as judges.

    “The country and its citizens expect a diligent and effective administration of justice from the Nigerian judiciary. We cannot afford to fail them,” she said.

     

  • March and the shadow of religion

    “A“nd so we shall have to create leaders who embody virtues we can respect, who have moral and ethical principles we can applaud with an enthusiasm that enables us to rally support for them based on confidence and trust.” – Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

    It is hard for one to look at the on-going campaign across Nigeria without developing deep resentment towards the entire process. Some of us, who follow news closely, must have known by now that our politics is hardly driven by any noble ideals or virtues. And for the most part, the politicians are committed to themselves above every other thing.

    In the quest to win elections, no tool is too unholy and no institution is too sacred to be used. Therefore, the current mudslinging and verbal crossfire by opposing politicians should not take us by surprise. If politics were to be like vocation, such as acting or soccer, which does not have any direct bearing on the quality of life of the ordinary man, its shamelessness would be enough to make most of us ignore it. But as you know, we can ignore it only at our own peril.

    As if it is not bad enough to drop the names of opponents, wish them death, try to sabotage efforts of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), or plunge the nation into chaos, there is an ongoing manipulation of religion in the campaign. As a religious individual, I should be wary of commenting on this matter in order to avoid the temptation to end up speaking for my religion alone. But we cannot go on this way. In some parts of the country, the prevailing argument is that a certain candidate would Islamise Nigeria, while elsewhere, the argument is that somebody is out to Christianise the nation.

    One must agree even though with a measure of disappointment that, while many of those who populate the political space may have been growing old, they have not grown up. A grown-up person may still be motivated by the same instincts, but he pursues them with great decorum or at least, pretended decorum, because he recognises that society will destroy itself if its members scramble for private interests without deferring to a mutually agreed code of scrambling. This is not in Nigeria. For the most part, the Nigerian politician is a desperate creature. Lacking merit in his own self, he thoughtlessly jumps onto any bandwagon with the most crowds. Because he doesn’t represent any worthwhile thing, he must put on himself a disguise, using either faith or commitment to a system of values, neither of which he truly possesses.

    However, the politicians are not our problem. Instead, they are our own creation – a miniature of the larger society. Do we, the ordinary citizens, not use dirtier and more vulgar language every day on social media when we talk about the same elections? Do we not also draw insulting caricature of those we are not supporting? Do we not often ask our opponents to go “hug transformer”?

    Isn’t it unfortunate that even though we know very well that these people are not truly committed to anything – not even faith – except their interests, we still let them manipulate our sense of religion? Isn’t it even more unfortunate that they are just being like us on this religion issue? Like us, they are not committed to any faith and they know it.

    And like us, even though they are not committed to faith, they love to argue, campaign and wage influence based on it. Therefore, in truth, they like us – and we like them – are hypocrites who stick to a certain faith in public, not out of any deep conviction, but out of the mere satisfaction of appearing to represent something.

    The tragedy is, unlike them, most of us don’t know this truth. We have become so hypnotised by religious sentiment that we do not realise how far we are from religion we claim to practise. Many of us will fight to the point of death if anyone “insults” our religion, but a few of us even bother about the teachings of the same religion. Isn’t this why decency, honesty, kindness, endurance and love are so scarce in our national life? The truth is, whenever our sense of religion is not threatened, we also forget about the religion itself.

    We must not destroy Nigeria with religion. If we are truly religious people, it will not be shown in how fierce we fight over it, but how much of the noble values of faith we bring into the practice of politics and public life. We must wake up from this buzz and ensure we do not plunge the nation into chaos while we fight over the shadow of religion.

     

    •Msonter, 400-Level Medicine, BSU

  • Is religion an impediment on national thought? 

    On the 3 February, 2012, a debate was held at the Angus Memorial Hall, on the campus of Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the founding of Igbobi College. The occasion afforded Old Igbobians not only a pleasant reunion, but was also evocative of a simpler and more innocent time. The topic – “Is Religion Occupying Too Much Space In Our National Thought Process” – was ably argued by two of the College’s legendary former debaters, Mr. Chris Borha [who thinks it is] and Professor Yemi Osinbajo, S.A.N. [who argued for the contrary view].The judges included two distinguished Old Igbobians, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi (a former foreign minister) and the Honourable Duro Adebiyi (a distinguished former judge of the High Court of Lagos State, 1968-76).

    Unfortunately, Mr Borha’s pyrotechnical oratory [which seemed to concentrate on the superstition he claimed religion fosters in Nigeria] failed to deploy the full weight of history, which was undoubtedly largely on his side, and was thus, rightly in my view, overcome in the estimation of the judges by the closely reasoned and impeccably delivered argument of Professor Osinbajo, a gifted and seasoned advocate, who contended that religion, among its other benefits, is the indispensable source of the moral strength of any civilized society.

    My personal opinion is that religion is, indeed, occupying far too much space in our national life. This is graphically illustrated in my own neighbourhood of Surulere, in Lagos. While there are at least six churches within a 300 metres radius of my house, I am yet to locate one single library in the whole of Surulere ! Yet, even the Lagos State and the Surulere Local Governments are in awe of these churches and are reluctant to intervene to abate the nuisance caused by the resultant appalling congestion and environmental degradation. This imbalance becomes more disturbing when an empirical analysis of history is taken into view.

    The Islamic Golden Age (786 C.E.-1258 C.E.), which laid the foundation for the later European Renaissance and Enlightenment, brought great progress in mathematics, physics, biology, medicine, education, architecture, the arts, philosophy, literature, scientific methods, etc., at a time when Europe was still in the grip of the Dark Ages, precisely because free thinking, rationalism, and the spirit of scientific enquiry were allowed as much space as spiritualism at the time. The decline of this grand and illustrious civilization, to which a lot of what we now recognize in modern life owes its existence, largely began when the stifling of ijtihad (independent reasoning) in the 12th century began and was replaced by institutionalised taqleed (imitation) thinking.

    Conversely, in Europe, the Church, through subtle means and not so subtle devices, such as the Inquisition, controlled all thought until free thinking, rationalism and scientific enquiry began to assert themselves and became the well-springs of that great flowering of knowledge known as the Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries and the Enlightenment of the 18th century, which ensured, to this day, the great ascendancy and domination of the Western Judeo-Christian tradition.

    Even in the 21st century, religion continues to take questionable positions on subjects like birth-control, control of HIV-AIDS, the granting of the equal benefit and protection of the law to biologically-challenged homosexuals and lesbians, the ordination of female clergy and gender equality generally, stem cell research, etc., which many feel to be deleterious to progressive thinking.

    Nations (such as the Western democracies; Turkey; Japan; China; Taiwan; South Korea; Singapore; etc.) that have freed themselves from the debilitating constraints of imperious religion – an inherently conservative phenomenon – and opted for secular societies, thereby subtly circumscribing the influence and control of religion over their peoples, have often been the most successful, while those who have not (such as conservative Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, etc.; the conservative Catholic countries of Latin America and the Philippines; conservative, predominantly Hindu India) have been unable to realize their full potential.

    Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), the great Indian nationalist leader and first prime minister of India put it rather well, in his 1933 letter from prison to his then fifteen year old daughter, Indira [Gandhi] : “…And yet, the study of science makes a tremendous difference to a person…in life. The help has been chiefly in the training it has given and the outlook on the mind…. Almost all-modern life is based on science…. Science really means experiment, the finding out of truth by experiment, and not merely accepting facts just because someone has said so.”

    Religion too seeks the truth, but in contradistinction, its quest is based, not on experiments, but on faith, hope, and fear. It is increasingly idle to deny, in the light of the mounting scientifically verifiable evidence that has been accumulating for centuries, that nature rests on a rational, and not a mystical, foundation which gives nature and life both their largely predictable and not infrequent pitiless and cruel character. A few examples may illustrate this contention: if human beings insist on building their cities in earthquake prone regions, they will probably be destroyed without the possibility of any divine intervention, even if hundreds of thousands of innocent people are killed in the process; similarly, a person who fails to heed medical advice, and smokes like a chimney and eats and drinks like a hog, risks grave injury to his health for which no divine intervention may be available; a group of evil, but well-organized and resourceful, men may successful implement a genocide, without any divine intervention, if good men stand aside; a promising nation may be entirely run aground, without the slightest hint of any divine intervention, if otherwise responsible citizens hug their private lives and decide to look the other way. These are but only four elementary examples of the grip science and logical/rational natural laws have on nature and life. Those individuals and societies that respect and adhere to the guiding light of science and the logical/rational natural laws tend to thrive, while those who do not often fail to realize their full potential.

    What is certainly plausible today, therefore, is that the universe may just as well revolve around science and a set of logical/rational natural laws as it may around a Supreme Being. In this scheme of things, religion, if not taken too far, has much social utility; but taken to extremes, it can be a dangerous concept, ultimately subversive of the very same progress that science and the natural laws have the potential of bringing within our reach. It was the need for a balance between religion, on the one hand, and secular humanism in the form of free thinking, rationalism, and science, on the other hand, that informed Einstein’s famous quip that “science without religion is lame, and religion without science is blind” (Albert Einstein, “Science and Religion,” Out of My Later Years,1950).

     

    • Adeogun who teaches law at the University of Guyana

     

     

  • APC alleges plot to use religion for votes haul

    APC alleges plot to use religion for votes haul

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged a plot by desperate politicians to circulate leaflets in mosques and churches, using religion as a tool to win votes.

    Its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement in Lagos yesterday, said the plot was in line with the track record of those who have consistently used religion to divide Nigerians to feather their political nest.

    ‘’They are hoping that by further inflaming passion with the highly emotive issue of religion, they can revive their shriveling political fortunes. That is why they have devised the latest strategy of pitching Christians against Muslims through the circulation of satanic leaflets. Nigerians should not be taken in by this cheap plot,’’ the statement said.

    The party reminded Nigerians of the most recent attempt to use religion as a tool to win votes, when Vice President Namadi Sambo said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has more Muslims than the APC, and that the APC vice presidential candidate was a pastor who runs 5,000 churches.

    It added: ‘’It must baffle every right-thinking Nigerian what the vice president stands to gain by his resort to base instincts. It is more baffling against the background of the fact that it was his party, the PDP, that first labelled our party, the APC, as a Muslim party.

    ‘’Not even when the APC elected a Christian as its National Chairman, supported by many party officials who are also Christians, did they back off from their incautious claim. It did not occur to them that our party is more religiously diverse than they have sought to portray it to Nigerians.”

    APC said it had been campaigning on issues of relevance to Nigerians, including how Nigerians would be put back to work, how the citizens would be better protected, how they would be weaned from their forced dependence on electricity generators and how the party’s governors have delivered the dividends of democracy in their states, those on the other side have been trading in negative and inciting campaigns of the most primitive kind.

    ‘’We ask Nigerians to disregard anyone peddling religion as a tool for securing votes in any part of the country. Faith is a personal thing to individuals and no responsible government will seek to use religion to divide the people,’’ APC said.