Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has allayed the fears of Christians over the raging issue of Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying it was not done to undermine their influence or relevance, but simply a calculated political strategy by the party to win the presidential election.
Fayemi who stated this at the weekend in Ado-Ekiti during a courtesy visit by the new executives of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ekiti State Chapter led by its Chairman, Dr. Emmanuel Aribasoye, said the choice of a Muslim running mate for the APC Presidential candidate was not because there were no competent Christian politicians from the North as being erroneously peddled in some quarters.
While adding that there are so many competent Christians in the North and all over Nigeria, the governor noted that the responsibility of the church, where social justice is being preached, should include looking at the challenges faced by Christians and seeking how good governance could address and improve upon them.
He urged Christian leaders to eschew what he called “the theology of disengagement” and embrace politics by converting the current challenge to an opportunity to present a charter of demands to all political candidates based on irreducible minimum conditions acceptable to Christendom.
“Many Christians see politics as a dirty game, and for this reason are disengaged from the political process. It’s time for us to realise that there are compelling reasons for Christians to participate in politics. In my own opinion, whatever makes us good Christians makes us good citizens.
“You raised a matter that is agitating the minds of many Christians, particularly Christians who are not in politics, but I can tell you that Christians who are in politics are equally concerned about the matter you have raised about the Muslim-Muslim ticket. Not so much because of faith, but because of fair representation and representation in a multi ethnic, multi religious, multi- cultural setting is always going to be an issue of concern. But I have also had cause to discuss this with our political associates and our fathers in the Lord.
“But where we are now, my plea with Christians is to do that which is expected of us. Yes, the agitation must continue and on my part as a Christian, I have been talking to both the Presidential candidate and other leaders of the party that we need to take quick steps that we should have taken earlier by approaching the leadership in Christendom and explain the context of the selection that was about to happen. Even if they don’t agree with our choice, they would have seen the sincerity of purpose and understood that the decision was not on ground of competence, because we have competent Christians all over Nigeria, but on grounds of strategic political moves, which is what we do in politics. We have to look at scenarios and calculate where the votes would come from, it is a game of numbers.”