NATION

Tunde Bakare backs APC’s Muslim- Muslim ticket, preaches against religious divisiveness

Pastor Tunde Bakare has urged Christian leaders to engage presidential and vice presidential candidates, based on key performance indicators, and not “the emotional reactions that have dominated the polity since the choice of a running mate was made by the APC presidential candidate.”

TheCornet reports that the decision of APC presidential flag bearer Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to pick his fellow Muslim, Kashim Shettima, has ignited a furore across the country, especially from Christians.

Bakare, who made a futile run for the All Progressives  Congress presidential ticket, believes the ticket offers Nigeria an opportunity to shun primordial and religious divisiveness.

The clergyman said the focus should be on building a New Nigeria “that works for every Nigerian, Christian as well as Muslim.

“Nationhood, rather than divisiveness, must be the objective of every engagement.”

He, therefore, urged “Christian leaders” to “convene a strategic concourse to define the minimum standards across sectors of governance below which no Nigerian, Christian or Muslim, must be subjected.”

“The SNG Charter and the Nigerian Charter for National Reconciliation and Reintegration which was unanimously adopted by the delegates to the 2014 National Conference, can be a springboard for such sector-by-sector deliberations.

“This must be done between now and September when the campaigns will officially commence. The Charter may be launched in Abuja and may be termed The Abuja Declaration for Nationhood.

“Thereafter, Christian leaders must then carefully engage each presidential candidate and running mate based on that Charter and provide a unified direction to the body of Christ in Nigeria having assessed each presidential/vice-presidential ticket based on key performance indicators around the Charter.

“This would be a more mature, structured and strategic way to respond to the situation as against the emotional reactions that have dominated the polity since the choice of a running mate was made by the APC presidential candidate.

“For the Christians in Northern Nigeria who feel marginalised by the choice of a Northern Muslim as running mate, the time has come to upgrade the conversation from politics to governance. The time has come to interrogate the impact of politics on development.”

 

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