Southwest Muslims Reject Invitation To Meet Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan’s proposal to meet tomorrow with a cross-section of Muslim leaders in the southwest at Ansarudeen Central Mosque, Ajao Surulere, Lagos State, has met a brick wall, with most of the religious figures indicating their reluctance to attend. A source close to Mr. Jonathan told SaharaReporters that, unless there was a miraculous change of heart, the meeting is unlikely to hold.

Our sources said former Minister of State for Defense, Musiliu Obanikoro, had arranged the meeting. Mr. Obanikoro now faces growing public opprobrium over his inglorious role in the rigging of last year’s governorship election in Ekiti State. The former minister is one of several politicians of the ruling PDP caught on tape as they ordered a top military officer, Brigadier A. Momoh, to harass members of the APC in Ekiti in a scheme designed to secure victory for Ayo Fayose, the candidate of the PDP. Mr. Fayose was declared the winner of the election.

In a telephone conference, the secretary general of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Ishaq Oloyede, lauded the decision of Muslim leaders not to participate in a meeting designed to polarize and create disunity among Muslims across the geographical divide.

Northern Muslim leaders, including emirs, had earlier opposed a meeting of all Muslim leaders with Mr. Jonathan. Their objection had scuttled an earlier meeting the president had proposed with the entire Muslim leaders in the country. Two major Muslim leaders in the southwest disclosed that a meeting between and Mr. Jonathan would be a betrayal of the general decision not to draw Muslim leaders in the country into partisan conflicts.

The Muslim leaders also remarked that Mr. Jonathan’s alleged gift of N7 billion to the leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to encourage them to mobilize political support for the president’s re-election had left CAN in tatters. “It may take a long time before the wound inflicted on the umbrella organization for all Nigerian Christians is healed,” said one Muslim leader.

Another Muslim leader told SaharaReporters that it was shameless to go about distributing money that belongs to the masses to a few religious leaders. “We want the money to be used to better the lot of all Nigerians,” said the source, an Islamic cleric in Abeokuta.

One of the Muslim leaders also said it was difficult to trust Mr. Jonathan who had reneged on his promise to redress the marginalization of Muslims in the composition of last year’s national conference. “When we complained about it, Mr. President promised to redress it, but he went back on his words when CAN President, Ayo Oritsejafor, told him to ignore us.”

Some of the Muslim leaders stated that Mr. Jonathan had always ignored the pleas of Muslims for fairness and equity in appointments to top political appointments. “He never sent an invitation to us to meet with him before. Why is he now enthusiastic to meet Muslims [a] few weeks to the election,” one source asked.

SaharaReporters learned that the chief imam of Ansarudeen mosque, Abdurahman Ahmad, was given the assignment of telling Mr. Jonathan and his team that the southwest Muslim leaders were not enthusiastic about meeting him.

APC alerts Nigerians on alleged fresh plot to use religion for election purpose

The All Progressives Congress has alerted Nigerians to a fresh plot by desperate politicians to circulate leaflets, in mosques and churches, asking Muslims to only vote for Muslims in the forthcoming elections.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said the plot was in line with the track record of those who have consistently used religion to divide Nigerians in order to feather their political nest.

”They are hoping that by further inflaming passion with the highly emotive issue of religion, they can revive their shrivelling political fortunes. That is why they have devised the latest strategy of pitching Christians against Muslims through the circulation of satanic leaflets. Nigerians should not be taken in by this cheap plot,” it said.

The APC reminded Nigerians of the most recent attempt to use religion as a tool to win votes, when Vice President Namadi Sambo said the PDP has more Muslims than the APC, and that the APC Vice Presidential candidate was a pastor who runs 5,000 churches.

”It must baffle every right thinking Nigerian what the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria stands to gain by his resort to base instincts. It is more baffling against the background of the fact that it was his party, the PDP, that first labelled our party, the APC, as a Muslim party.

”Not even when the APC elected a Christian as its National Chairman, supported by many party officials who are also Christians, did they back off from their incautious claim. It did not occur to them that our party is more religiously diverse than they have sought to portray it to Nigerians,” the party said

It said while the APC has been campaigning on issues of relevance to

Nigerians, including how Nigerians will be put back to work, how the citizens will be better protected, how they will be weaned from their forced dependence on electricity generators and how the party’s Governors have delivered the dividends of democracy in their states, those on the other side have been trading in negative and inciting campaigns of the most primitive kind.

”We ask Nigerians to disregard anyone peddling religion as a tool for securing votes in any part of the country. Faith is a personal thing to individuals and no responsible government will seek to use religion to divide the people,” the APC said.

No one can Islamise or Christianise Nigeria

I get disturbed when considering that lots of lies are being peddled during political campaigns, and all are designed to win the votes of unsuspecting and eligible voters. That is why we discover that after each election, and in the course of governing, most promises by politicians are, at the end, not fulfilled.

What baffles me most is that the gullible voters are easily swayed again to listen to the same unfulfilled promises being recycled by the same and/or other politicians seeking votes.

I am not a member of any political party, but I must say that on the question of Christianising or Islamising Nigeria, most times, it is the unenlightened who are made to believe that a president can Islamise or Christianise a nation. Do not be deceived, my fellow citizens by the rumour being peddled by politicians; they just want to play on our intelligence and the gullible falls for their pranks. No one under any democratic dispensation can achieve that in a country like Nigeria.

During the military era, it could be possible by Decree. Take for instance, it was during General Ibrahim Babangida (IBB)’s regime that Nigeria became a member of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC).

Then let’s ask ourselves this question: If when General Muhammadu Buhari was in power as a military head of state he did not consider Islamising Nigeria, is it now, should he become an elected President that he would? We should not forget that Buhari had a fellow military Muslim in the person of Tunde Idiagbon, as his second-in-command when he was head of state, therefore if he ever had such intention, he could have achieved it so easily. Do not forget that IBB, even with a Christian second-in-command, took us to the OIC.

Vice President Namadi Sambo in one of his recent campaigns, mentioned that he is a good Muslim and that the present administration is more Islamic than what the Buhari administration can offer if it is voted into power. He mentioned that all departments in charge of security of Nigeria in the present regime are headed by Muslims, namely the National Security Adviser (NSA) (Sambo Dasuki); Inspector General of Police (IGP) (Suleiman Abba) and Defence Minister, (Aliyu Gusau).

 

Ironically, Sambo told people that it is Buhari that could Christianise the country as he has, as a running mate, a Pastor who has over 5,000 churches under him; invariably he was referring to The Redeemed Christian Church of God.

The purpose of my letter, is to get the minds of fellow citizens rest assured that they should vote for whichever candidates they like, without considering religious affiliation, bearing in mind that no one can Islamise or Christianise Nigeria. All we want is a ruler (or President) who would get us out of the present insecurity, unemployment, economic and corruption messes we found ourselves in.

We shouldn’t allow religion to be the basis of our voting; religion should be a thing of the mind. No one can stop us from going to church/mosque, or praying in our hearts and performing our religious duties.

Credit to Amaechi Okiri

Keep Islam Away from Politics: Nigeria’s NSCIA

A leading Islamic group in Nigeria has warned against dragging Islam into politics and ongoing elections campaigns, cautioning political parties and supporters against the use of religion card in upcoming elections.

A sponsored advertisement in the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) "contained a concocted documentary which embarrassingly maligns Islam and portrays Nigerian Muslims in bad light," Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, Secretary-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, said in a statement cited by the Vanguard.

He noted that such advertisement, especially on a national television owned by the Federal Government of Nigeria, "is sending a very dangerous signal of a seemingly impending religious war to the populace."

Moreover, the council berated the unprofessional move by the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, NBC, for its failure to monitor what goes on the airwaves.

NSCIA argued that airing such adverts, with the current public utterances of some political and religious leaders in the country, suggested a “dangerous hidden agenda”.

“To avert any such crisis, therefore, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs hereby calls on the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, which statutorily regulates the broadcast activities in the country, to be alert to its duty and ensure that a religious war does not ensue as a result of dereliction of duty on its part,” Professor Oloyede warned.

The criticism comes as the electoral chairman Attahiru Jega announced a reschedule of the general election last Saturday night, citing primarily an advisory by the security agencies that the poll be shifted by at least six weeks.

The Nigerian general election of 2015 will be the 5th quadrennial election to be held since the end of military rule in 1999.

Analysts say the vote is too close to call, the most tightly contested election since decades of military dictatorship ended in 1999.

Ahead of elections, Nigerian Muslim leaders have reiterated calls for unity and peace during the election race, amid escalating threats from Boko-Haram militants.

Credit to Islamonline

Nigeria Elections 2015: Buhari Draws Crowds In Boko Haram Stronghold Of Borno; Opposition Candidate Promises To Liberate Nigerians

Nigerian presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari drew thousands of supporters Monday to a campaign rally in Borno state, a stronghold of Boko Haram insurgents, where he pledged to wipe out the militant group. Buhari, from the All Progressives Congress political party, packed popular Ramat Square in Maiduguri, and was joined by Borno Gov. Kashim Shettima and other party leaders from across the country, according to local media reports.

“If elected, I will focus on tackling the persistent insecurity affecting the northeast,” Buhari, 72, promised. “It’s not easy, as the damage has been done.” He continued: “Boko Haram’s ideology contradicts Islamic principles because [Islam] does not allow the senseless killing of innocents. It is unfortunate that innocent people are being killed in mosques, churches and their homes."

The Borno state government declared Monday a public holiday to encourage people to attend the rally. Nigeria had been scheduled to hold its elections on Saturday, but the contest was delayed amid military leaders' concerns that Boko Haram insurgents will not allow for a safe election process. The country’s official electoral commission has since postponed the vote to March 28.

Buhari, a former military ruler, is among 13 challengers running against President Goodluck Jonathan. He is considered the most viable rival against Jonathan’s People’s Democratic Party, which has ruled the country since its return to democracy in 1999. He is running for president for the fourth time since 2003.

Boko Haram has threatened security in Nigeria for years. It has declared a self-styled “Islamic caliphate” and targeted neighboring African nations in recent months. “If an APC government is elected, all towns under Boko Haram’s control will be liberated and rebuilt,” Buhari said.

Buhari canceled an earlier visit to Borno because of security concerns. He is popular in the area partly because he is a northern-born Muslim, according to Agence France-Presse. Jonathan is from Nigeria's mainly Christian south. He visited Borno in January.

Credit to Cristina Silva