Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria has condemned in strong terms the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN and accused it of causing disaffection and disunity in Nigeria following its allegation that the clergy men that attended Kashim Shettima’s Unveling as Vice President running mate ti Asiwaju Bola Tinubu were fake Bishops

Reacting to a statement credited to the Vice President of CAN, Rev. Joseph Hayab that the Christian religious leaders that were present at the unveiling of Senator Kashim Shettima as vice presidential candidate of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday in Abuja were hired to attend the event, MMWG, in a statement by its national coordinator, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, queried why they need to be known to CAN or Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN or any church for that matter asking whether Nigerians would vote on the basis of church or mosque we attend?

According to the reports, Hayab claimed that Christian religious leaders that attended the event yesterday were not known to CAN.

“Why were they silent over Christian-Christian tickets in Southern states of the country for the past 42 years ( i.e. 1979 to date) but now crying over Muslim-Muslim ticket now! It stated that with 18 political parties in the country, CAN and its cohorts have condescend so low to campaign against a political party when 17 others are available for them those that believed in their campaign of divisiveness,” it stated.

The group described as unpatriotic and condemnable for CAN to believe that true Christians would support its divisive roles in the nation’s polity.

It stated that responsible Nigerians would not tow the line CAN, adding that “since Nigeria’s independence both Muslims and Christians have never voted based on religious lines rather, they have been voting based on their conscience stating further that what informed Muslims voting for Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan would guide true Christians to vote for Muslim-Muslim ticket this time around.”

The group wondered why a religious body like CAN could believe that all the adherents of Christian faith in Nigeria would vote for a Christian as the president when religion has never being the yardstick used to consider who to vote for but competence, capacity and capability which have always determine who to vote into offices.

MMWG further described CAN as “an unregistered political party masquerading as a religious body; and that its attempt to set Nigerians against themselves using politics would bounce back negatively on it, as its campaign of calumny against a political party and its candidates is devilish, unprogressive, unpatriotic and irrational and by the grace of God would fail.”

The group, therefore, called on true Muslims and Christians in Nigeria to ignore the divisive campaign of CAN and vote for the candidates of their choice in the forthcoming general elections, saying that “CAN’s religious bigotry and fanaticism is irreligious and condemnable.”

“Today, Nigerian Muslims are proud to have contributed to the successes of thousands of Christian leaders of today having been assisted to greatness by various Muslim personalities
notable among which are the Vice-President, Professor ( Pastor) Yemi Osinbajo who benefitted greatly from Prince Abdul-Jabbar Bola Ajibola – former President of the World Court in the Hague and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Also, late Buruji Kashamu and Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State who were nurtured among thousands of others by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Aleogo Raymond Dokpesi, the proprietor of AIT Television and Raypower FM Radio station who also benefitted from Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as well as Mr. Olusola Akanmode, the Chief of Staff to Atiku Abubakar who was the Vice President in 1999 to 2007′ to mention just a few.

“All the great benefactors mentioned here were Muslims, who empowered known committed and dedicated Christians without minding the fact that they are committed Christians. The negative reactions of some church leaders and fanatical Christians would not make Muslims in Nigeria to change their good attitude to Christians,” the group stressed.

It, however, commended “the nationalistic and patriotic views expressed on Muslim-Muslim ticket by Prof. Pat Utomi, Mr. Sam Omatseye, Mr. Babajide Kolade Otitoju and Pastor Tunde Bakare who have behaved as intellectuals who could not be swayed to backing Christian fanaticism and fundamentalism at the expense of good leadership we are envisaging for Nigeria.”