2023: Why we oppose Muslim/Muslim ticket – PFN

As controversy continues over the Muslim/Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 presidential election, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has given reasons it believed the said ticket was not in the best interest of the country.

The National Publicity Secretary of the body, Bishop (Dr) Emmah Isong, who spoke in Calabar, Tuesday, while playing host to the new executive committee members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Cross River state council, advised politicians to consider the interest of the nation as priority when taking political decisions.

Bishop Isong, who is the Presiding Bishop of the Calabar-based Christian Central Chapel Int’l (CCCI) and doubles as the Patron of the NUJ, Zone F, said, “the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and even the constitution of many political parties speak about justice, equity, fair-play and balance of region and religion.

“The issue of the Muslim Muslim ticket is not supposed to be wrong if there were no backdrop underlying factors of terrorist activities and suspected intimidation of Christianity and indeed Islam; bombing of Churches during weddings, kidnap of several Church leaders and murder of priests/pastors without any form of punishments.

“On the backdrop of this religious persecution and discrimination comes the condemnation of the Muslim Muslim ticket, not as a ticket but as a lack of wisdom at a time like this. This is not the time to contemplate such matters. Some of those condemning the Muslim Muslim ticket are Muslims leaders who are saying ‘look, the Koran says you must do justice even when it does not favour you.’

“Look at this way, if a Christian was president for 8 years and was handing over power to another Christian who would now go for another Christian as vice president, would people not raise eyebrows? It is against natural justice.

“Again, why did the man who is picking a Muslim from the north not pick a Muslim from the south? The reason is that he wanted to balance the regional equation of the South/North divide. If you balance the regional question, why don’t you also seek to balance the religious equation of Muslim/Christian?”

Earlier, the Chairman of the NUJ in the State, Comrade Gill Nsa, appealed to the Bishop, who he addressed as “father of the Union in the zone,” for fatherly blessings to enable the new executive committee succeed, and therefore mulled a thanksgiving service in the Christian Central Chapel in the next few weeks.

Comrade Nsa said the new leadership would strive to uphold the ethic of the journalism profession which, he said, is founded on objectivity, balance, and fairness to ensure professionalism, adding that this would enhance the watch-dog roles of the media.

“With your blessings and fatherly support, we will surmount obstacles and fulfill our electioneering campaign promises of striving for the welfare of our members. Let the relationship between the NUJ and the CCCI be robust as was before and we assure you that we will not let you and our people down,” the Chairman stated.