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Chukwudi Nweje
Leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has challenged the incoming National Assembly to ensure its leadership reflects religious balance in the interest of peace and equity.
CAN lamented that the head of both the executive and the judiciary were Muslims, noting that electing Christians to leadership positions in the National Assembly will eliminate every apprehension and suspicion.
“We, from the Christian Association of Nigeria, recognise the importance of the National Assembly to the stability and growth of our polity. It is in this regard that we call for ethnic and religious balance in picking the leadership of that great institution of democracy. To ensure that this happens is to remove any apprehension and suspicion harbored towards the leadership of this country.
“Although both the Senate and the House of Representatives have several principal officers, our focus are the Senate President, the Deputy Senate President, the Speaker and the Deputy Speake. Our quest becomes imperative due to the existing order in the two other arms of the government. Today, both the President and the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria are Muslims and our appeal is to let either the Senate President or the Speaker be a Christian to address the religious dichotomy. This will give all Nigerians a sense of belonging irrespective of their religious affiliations,” CAN said yesterday.
In a statement signed by Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, Special Assistant (Media & Communications) to the CAN President, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, CAN also urged the Presidency and the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to support the position of the Association in its quest to find an enduring peace, unity and development of Nigeria.
CAN furthe said its demands were in backed by Chapter 14 (3) of the1999 Constitution (as amended). While stressing that merit should not be sacrificed for balance, CAN insisted that there are several qualified Christians worthy of the positions.
“In as much as we agree that merit should not be sacrificed in every appointment, but there are Christians who are equally credible and capable of running the affairs of the National Assembly and other key positions in the government if given the opportunity.
“Those who had and still serving in one office or the other are our living proofs,” CAN noted.
It said the practice since 1999 has been to ensure religious balance in the appointment or election of principal officers of the assembly.
“The practice since 1999 has been that whenever the Senate President is a Christian, the Speaker of the House will be a Muslim and vice- versa, just as the deputies are similarly elected.
“Doing this will go a long way in fixing some of the problems confronting our country today that are rooted in religious, tribal suspicion, domination and marginalisation at every level of the government.”
CAN congratulated the newly elected members of the National Assembly and prayed that God who granted them victory will see them through their assignment.
“You will not disappoint God and the people who gave you the mandate,” CAN said.
