The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has warned political parties in the country against choosing presidential and governorship candidates and their running mates from the same religion.The country’s umbrella Christian body gave the warning on Thursday ahead of the 2023 general election, adding that it is against the arrangement and will not accept it either Christian/Christian or Muslim/Muslim.

CAN said such decision would be disastrous and could trigger unnecessary suspicion, acrimony, denial, among Nigerian.
The organisation, thereby, cautioned the leading political parties in the country against heating up the polity with such arrangement ahead of 2023 general election.
A statement from the media aide to CAN President, Bayo Oladeji, indicated that the CAN President, Dr. Samson Ayokunle, dropped the position on Thursday, when he led CAN management team on a courtesy visit to the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, in his office at the National Assembly complex, Abuja.

READ ALSO IPOB: Abia court to hear Nnamdi Kanu’s N5bn suit against FG November 2
Ayokunle said, “We would admonish that, concerning 2023 general elections, politicians should not heat up the polity in any way, even as the campaign windows are about to be opened. They should rather guide the utterances and actions because there is already tension in the land because of insecurity.

“Most Instructively, we want to urge you, the politicians, on the Presidency. We want a situation that a balance of religion will be considered. We neither want Christian/Christian ticket nor Muslim/Muslim ticket.”

Speaking further, Dr. Ayokunle, expressed dissatisfaction and disappointment with the menace of the economic downturn and its consequences on the polity, and called for an enabling environment to cushion the effects on the people.
The CAN President further told the lawmaker that the church is troubled about inflation in the land which, according to him, has sent many people out of business, thus, leading to unemployment being at unimaginable level.

He added, “While we appreciate the efforts of the legislative assemblies in calling the attention of the executive to this, more robust and daring efforts are required to nip these things in the bud. “Enabling environment should be created for investments and incentives, or tax exceptions given to local manufacturers on some goods.”

The CAN President, thus, applauded the Nigerian Government for the wisdom in managing the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, and also warned against forcing the people to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

He said, “We appreciate the Federal Government, especially the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 for the way this ‘stubborn’ virus has been managed. We want to urge the government to continue to encourage Nigerians to take the vaccine but never to force or coerce people into doing so.”