The leadership of the Christian
Association of Nigeria (CAN) has stated its position on the incoming 9th
National Assembly.
CAN President, Rev Dr Samson
Ayokunle, in an open letter to newly elected lawmakers, expressed concerns over
move by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to fill the topmost
leadership position in the Senate and House of Representatives with Muslims.
The party had endorsed Senator
Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila as next Senate President and Speaker.
In a statement on Monday,
Ayokunle told lawmakers-elect that as they prepare for inauguration, they
should balance the appointments of Principal Officers across religious divides
to avoid domination and marginalisation of any kind in the interest of equity,
justice, and fair play as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
He said: “We, from the Christian
Association of Nigeria, recognize 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 with depth in picking the leadership of that great
institution of democracy.
“To ensure that this happens is to
remove any apprehension and suspicion harboured towards the leadership of this
country.
“Although both the Senate and the
House of Representatives have several principal officers but our focus here are
the Senate President, the Deputy Senate President, the Speaker and the Deputy
Speaker.
“As it has been the practice
since 1999, whenever the Senate President is a Christian, the Speaker of the
House has always been a Muslim and vice- versa. And the same thing happens to
their deputies.
“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 calls on the 9th National
Assembly members to address both the religious and the North and South
dichotomies in the interest of equity, justice and fair play. We assure our
lawmakers of our prayers as they make laws for the peace, order and good
government of the Federation.
“We also urge both 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 for our Fatherland.
“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.
“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.”
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