The Christian Social Movement of Nigeria (CSMN) has urged Nigerians to reject fundamentalists in the coming elections, to enable the fight against terrorism to succeed.
The Chairman of CSMN, Solomon Asemota (SAN), spoke yesterday in Abuja at a conference of CSMN.
According to a communique he signed, tagged: โThink democracyโ, to evaluate development in the country and the challenges confronting governance, CSMN said: โThe conference was persuaded that the war against terror can best be won with a God-fearing leader voted into power in 2019. Electing a religious fundamentalist to lead national resistance against terror by extremists constitutes a cosmetic war against insurgency.
โThe conference noted the need for Nigeria to make God a significant factor in conducting the affairs of the country, and that Christians should get involved in politics to provide the necessary balance, rather than stand at the sidelines to complain against the religious and social imbalances.
โThe conference was concerned at emerging signals towards the 2019 elections, which indicate that the leading parties are preparing to present candidates from the same region and religion, to the neglect of others so long marginalised from the political space, especially the endangered northern Christians.โ
In collaboration with CSMN were the following democratic groups: National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF), Legacy Initiative International, Advocates for Freedom and Democracy (AFD), a coalition of 58 Christian groups, Nigerian Christians in Diaspora, The Clergy Forum for Peace and Development in the Niger Delta and Christian Ministers Universal Forum.
Participating as observers at the conference were: South-South Study Group, PAN Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), United Middle Belt Indigenous Peoples Congress (UMBIPC) and Middle Belt Renaissance Forum.
The statement reads: โThe conference further resolved that the national ideology bequeathed by the founding fathers of Nigeria at independence was democracy. Every effort should, therefore, be made to ensure that democracy is neither undermined nor abrogated.
โThe conference moved for Christian candidates to be encouraged to join parties and to contest for electoral offices, especially the presidency. The conference advocated the creation of a common forum for Christian and Muslim leaders to meet and work at providing quality political leadership for the country. The conference recognised the capacity of Legacy Initiative International to facilitate the forum.
โConference insisted that the foundation of Nigeria needs redressing in the form of a restructuring of the country, which should be a major agenda of the 2019 elections.
โConference condemned in very strong terms the abduction and continued incarceration of Leah Sharibu on account of her firm stand against renouncing her Christian faith for Islam in exchange for freedom from her Islamist captors. The Conference demanded immediate government intervention to secure her release. The Conference took time to pray for her and called on all Christians to contribute funds to support her family. As a gesture, the conference immediately raised donations for Leah Sharibuโs family.
โThe conference advocated the stipulation of a code of conduct as a mechanism for holding Christians in public offices accountable to God, to the Church and to the general citizenry. The conference expressed the need to promote unity among several Christian bodies and to urge the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to ensure Christian synergy for national transformation.
โConference reiterated the need for a deliberate agenda for promoting the participation and representation of women, youths, people with disabilities and ethnic minorities at all levels of governance.โ
