Catholic Bishop Tells Christians To Shun Muslim-Muslim Presidential Ticket, Explains Why

Christians have been admonished to shun any presidential candidate fielding a single faith ticket in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

The admonition was given on Monday by the Bishop of Kaduna Catholic Archdiocese, Most Reverend Mathew Ndagoso, Naija News reports.

Recall that Nigeria’s ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), is fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket for the 2023 presidential election.

Former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, and his presidential running mate, Kashim Shettima, are both Muslims, respectively, from the South-west and Northeastern regions of the country.

Speaking at an event in Kaduna on Monday, Bishop Ndagoso said that such tickets do not promote equity, fairness and unity, especially in a diverse country like Nigeria.

Bishop Ndagoso insisted that religion is an essential factor in the nation’s socio-political charter, which any political party or presidential candidate must consider when making their election choices.

He observed that Nigeria is a diverse country, hence its religious, social and cultural diversities are a blessing that can and should be harnessed by those in leadership positions.

Ndagoso said: “Nigeria is a very diverse country, we come from different cultural backgrounds, religious backgrounds, and social backgrounds and our diversities are not a curse; they are blessings from God.

“All we need are leaders who will be able to manage and harness these diversities as to enrich our country. Therefore, the kind of leader Nigeria needs is somebody who has the ability to manage our differences and bring everybody together and give everyone a sense of belonging.”

The church leader again forbid Christians from wasting their votes on a single faith ticket, adding that any party that is insensitive to the feelings of Christians must be ready to live with the consequences of their action.

How They Killed Deborah Samuel, Abduct Chibok Girls Over Religion – Soyinka

Nigerian playwright and novelist, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Sunday, recalled how over a hundred secondary school girls were abducted in Chibok, Borno State, years ago and how a Christian girl, Deborah Samuel, was killed recently in Sokoto State by her colleagues in the name of religion.

Soyinka described the events as regrettable. He berated the atrocities Nigerians and Africans commit against one another in the name of religion.

Naija News reports that Soyinka made reference to the two events while explaining why he doesn’t belong to any religion.

Soyinka explained his position yesterday during the public presentation of his two-volume collection of essays, Of Power and Freedom and the forthcoming release of a collection of poems.

The event tagged ‘A Special Soyinka Retrospective’, was held at Alliance Francaise, Mike Adenuga Centre in Ikoyi, Lagos.

I Am Not A Christian, Muslim or An Orisa Worshipper

A journalist, writer and Executive Editor of TheNEWS/PMNEWS, Kunle Ajibade, threw a question to the Nobble Laurette on Sunday, during the Q&A session about his religious status.

Ajibade asked: “You say in one of the essays in Of Power and Freedom that you are not a Christian, you are not a Muslim and you are not an Orisa worshipper. And that you use the gods of these religions merely as mythological constructs. But what exactly is your religion?”

Without hesitation, Soyinka replied that he was neither a Christian, Muslim or Orisa worshipper and had never felt he needed any religion.

The renowned poet explained that he does not worship any deity but that he considers deities creatively real and are his companions in his journey in both the real and imaginative worlds.