A Coalition of Concerned Christian Stakeholders in Niger State has rejected the sustenance of the Muslim-Muslim governorship ticket by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
LEADERSHIP observed that in the last 12 years, the state has operated a Muslim- Muslim ticket, but the Christian group sought to end the trend, claiming that the Christians account for 45% of the state population.
The Spokesman and Secretary of the Coalition, Mr Jude Johnson, declared: ” In Niger state, Christians are over 45% in terms of population. The ruling government has undermined and relegated Christians in the just-concluded primaries of the APC. Qualified and popular Christian politicians who aspired to contest and be voted into various elective positions were compelled to drop their ambitions because of their religion”
The Coalition told a news conference in Minna yesterday that while they will continue to support the All Progressives Congress and, in particular, Governor Mohammed Umaru Mohammed Bago and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, they will not hesitate to reject the Bago Governorship ticket for any party that presents a Muslim -Christian or Christian-Muslim ticket in the 2027 Governorship election.
Johnson said, “If we (Christians) allowed marginalisation and deliberate segregation during the previous administration and especially during the 2023 elections, we will not tolerate it this second term”
” The same faith ticket is insensitive to the state’s religious diversity”, Jude Johnson declared, adding that though the Christians supported Bago’s gubernatorial candidature during the 2023 elections “, this time around we (Christians) are demanding that the APC’s ticket reflects fairness, equity and inclusiveness by ensuring a Christian becomes your Deputy”, he added.
According to him, after a series of meetings and consultations, “we have unanimously agreed to pitch our tent and declare our full support for Governor Bago’s second term bid if he yields to our demand for a Christian deputy”.
He therefore called on the Governor not to undermine the gentility of Christians in the state, as anything short of a Christian deputy Governor might amount to all Christians in the state seeking alternatives.
