Beware of political masquerades in christian fold – Group warns

There is no iota of truth in the allegation that President Muhammadu Buhari is in support of herdsmen killings and is pursuing an Islamic agenda, a group, Forum of United Nigerians Against Divisive Elements (FUNADE), has said. In a statement on Monday, the group also advised Christian bodies to shun divisive and baseless reports that are aimed at causing disunity among Christians and religious unrest in the country.

The National Secretary of FUNADE, Arikpo Essien noted that President Buhari had always picked southerners and Christians as his running mates, an indication which Essien said rubbishes the allegation that Buhari’s presidency has an Islamis agenda.. The group also noted that the choice of a Christian Vice President in the mould of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, was not solely that of President Buhari, but of the Senator Bola Tinubu led CAN. Parts of the statement read, “The choice of Yemi Osinbajo in the ACN, ANPP, CPC, New PDP alliance that brought about the APC, was not Buhari’s choice. It was the choice of the Tinubu- led ACN. An alliance essentially between the North and the South-West of Nigeria. In two previous failed presidential campaigns of Buhari, his running mates were from the South East: Ume-Ezeoke and Chuba Okadigbo. So it’s simply nonsense to suggest that Buhari chose Osinbajo in order to buy the silence of Christians. It further noted that the false allegations making the rounds on sections of social media are the handiwork of desperate politicians trying to divide the country by stoking religious tension among Nigerians, especially with the recurrent clashes between herdsmen and farmers in some parts of the country. Pointing out that the killer herdsmen have not only desecrated place of worship of both Christians and Muslims, the group noted that the lives of all Nigerians matter more than the sentiments in messages from “politicians masquerading as concerned Christians or from a truly misinformed concerned persons” are spreading to further their selfish interests.