The presidential and vice presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, have assured Christian leaders of a prosperous Nigeria if they are elected.
Shettima gave the assurance while addressing representatives of The Clerics Congress of Nigeria (TCCON) at Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja.
The event, tagged ‘Special Town Hall Meeting and Endorsement Programme’, was staged by TCCON for endorsement of the Tinubu/Shettima ticket. Shettima, who was represented by Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West), commended the clerics for their courage “to come out and be counted among men and women of substance, great character, who are passionate about the unity and oneness of our nation; men of God who are concerned about the progress, prosperity and peaceful coexistence of our nation.”
He said under a Tinubu-Shettima presidency, Nigerians would witness tremendous development, peace, fairness and justice, irrespective of tribe and religion.
According to him, efforts will be made to ensure the economy witnesses a turnaround, including wealth and job creation, and acceleration of development. “In no distant time, the rate of unemployment in Nigeria will drastically reduce.”
Senator Grace Bent, who represented Tinubu, hailed the clerics for rising above religious sentiments to disclose their choice.
The clerics, led by Archbishop Ali John Ali and Bishop Timothy Cheren, said they decided to throw their weight behind the Tinubu-Shettima ticket because of the duo’s competence, capacity and vision for progressive leadership and nation building.
On the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket, which has generated much debate across the country, the clerics said: “We have carefully considered the issues that gave birth to the decision to select a Muslim as (Tinubu’s) vice president and came to the conclusion that the reasons were more about strategy to win elections and have somebody he (Tinubu) can be comfortable to work with, rather than religious discrimination.
They added: “Looking closely at the life of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, you can see he has a Christian wife and children that are of the Christian faith. Most of his political friends and associates are Christians. This is definitely not the man that will Islamise the country.
“We, therefore, urge all Nigerians to come out en masse to vote in the coming presidential election for the man that has shown the capacity to develop Nigeria.”
