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IDRIS AHMED, LOKOJA.
From all indications, Christians from the Northern part of the country are sharply divided over the Muslim/Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress ( APC).
While a forum of Pastors and Christians of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), earlier expressed its opposition to the APC fielding Tinubu/Shetima ticket for the 2023 Presidential election, another group also of the ECWA, has rejected the position of the Secretary General of the Evangelica Church Winning All (ECWA), Reverend Yunusa Sabo Nwamadu Junior.
Pastor (Dr) Yusuf Lisman in a statement issued on Sunday in Lokoja, Kogi state capital, described Reverend Nwamadu, Junior’s position as spurious unfounded, misguided, malicious, and politicized and not representing the position of ECWA Church.
Reacting to Reverend Nwamadu, Jnr’s statement last week, carried by some national papers, which said that the All Progressives Congress’ Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket is a plot for its candidate, Bola Tinubu, to fail the 2023 presidential election.
The publication also said, “those who planned the same faith presidential ticket merely laid a land mine for the former Lagos State governor to fail, declaring that they never meant well for him.”
Reverend Nwamadu also noted that the APC’s same faith ticket had further widened the mistrust among Nigerians.
He said that the reasons adduced for the same faith presidential ticket were not only curious but insulting to other faiths in the land.
Dr. Linsman is also The National Secretary Northern Christian Youth Leaders Assembly, and the President of, the ECWA Professionals Forum.
He (Dr. Linsman) however noted that Reverend Nwamadu Jnr should have known the Ethics of his calling which is evangelism and not partisanship.
The Christian Youths Leader stated further that there was never a time ECWA leadership took a position to interfere with the decision of APC in the choice of its running mate.
“ECWA stakeholders, Pastors, members, and denominations
are not aware and not a party to any such opinion as branded by Rev. Yunusa Sabo Nadu, Jnr.
“There was no such meeting, conference, agreement, or discussion at any level in ECWA and the Northern Church as affecting APC’s decision in the choice of its running mate.
“Consequently, such opinion can at best be described as a sponsored campaign by those who lost out in APC Vice Presidential nomination.” Dr. Lisman explained.
Tinubu himself has severally participated in church events and married to a Christian wife for more than 25 years, how can anyone contemplate that Tinubu will Islamize Nigeria”.
He said that the choice of Kashim Shettima as APC’s Vice Presidential candidate happened as a matter of consensus based on merit, pedigree, political followership, and grassroots presence.
“Being a Governor of Borno State for eight years, Kashim has not Islamised Borno State. For the love of Christ and his neutrality to religious differences, Kashim Shettima was the only Governor
who built and reconstructed all the Churches burnt down and
destroyed by Boko-Haram when he hold sway as Governor.” Dr. Lisman stated.
He said that Kashim Shettima was the only Northern Governor in the records and the period under review who gave more slots and seats and sponsored Christian pilgrims more than any of his contemporaries even in Christian-dominated states.
Kashim Shettima picked a Christian boy from the gutters, made him his adopted son, sponsored him to the
University, now a graduate and married off the Pastor further disclose.
“ECWA constitution has emphatically forbade any of its Pastors and leaders from partisan politics and heresies.” He maintained.
His resort to mundane and callous interference in a political party’s affairs, of which he is completely ignorant and daft to the workings of a political process is laughable, ridiculous, and reprehensible”.
According to him “In Mark 12:17, Jesus told them to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and God what belongs to God”. adding that Rev. Yunusa’s anti-Muslim/Muslim rhetorics is unsellable, the opinion of one man and the handy work of a Judas Iscariot”.
Dr. Linsman said that ECWA has about ten million members and above seven thousand denominations and is so far, the largest church movement in Northern Nigeria.
“The obvious questions that expose the lies of Rev. Yunusa Nadu, is because he is running the comedy of one man, a campaign of calumny, and a theatre of a saboteur. He has thrown to the dustbin the beatitudes and the teachings of Jesus Christ that “blessed are the peacemakers
for they shall be called the children of God”.
“He has Jettisoned integrity, and choose to work with the sons of Belial in sowing discord, dissension, mistrust between the Northern Christians and Muslims of which the Bible said, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self” (Mat:22:37-39). He forgot so soon that in the North, both Christians and Muslims are neighbors and brothers.” He added.
Dr. Linsman noted that in the same family you find a Christian and Muslim or on the other hand in the same town you will find a Christian and a Muslim Neighbor.
“The fact remains that we are one people. As a religious leader, we are to build and unify, not to divide and destroy”.he advised.
