Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has insisted it has not and will never endorse any candidate in the forthcoming presidential election.
CAN, late last year, met and interacted with some leading presidential candidates, in Abuja, and presented its position on the state of the nation and got their manifestoes and programmes. But, the body mainatained no one was endorsed at the end of the meeting.
It insisted that it’s apolitical, non-partisan and impartial, but working assiduously to sensitise its members to make informed choices during the general elections which starts next month.
Secretary General of CAN, Joseph Daramola, noted, in a statement released in Abuja, yesterday, that its members cut across all political divides, and some of them are even contesting for one post or the other, including the opresidential election.
He said: “The idea of endorsing any candidate does not arise. We’ve not and will not do that for any reason. CAN stands for a credible, fair and violence-free election. We would rather queue behind any candidate who exhibits godliness, trustworthiness, sincerity of purpose, decency, patriotism, true commitment to national service and care for the Christian community over the years.
“We urge candidates to show maturity, leadership, sportsmanship and eschew electoral malpractices and violence in whatever form. They should also call their followers to order and ensure they all operate within the framework of the law. Voter intimidation and vote-buying are anathema to democratic governance and should never be allowed.”
CAN said the Christian community is deeply concerned about the misfortunes that visited the Nigerian state in recent years. And the concerns, which must never be swept under the carpet, makes the strongest case for setting a standard for how responsible and well-meaning Nigerians should vote in 2019.