ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has commended the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Baba-Ahmed Datti, on their visit to Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, in Kaduna State.
According to the Christian body, the visit is a demonstration of regard for every faith by the duo.
Obi, the former Anambra Governor and his running mate, Datti, had visited the controversial cleric Gumi on Monday when they arrived Kaduna for a meeting with the Arewa Joint Committee.
The Labour Party presidential candidate who’s more popular among the youths, shared pictures of the visit to the Islamic cleric on his verified Twitter handle.
“Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed and I stopped over for a courtesy call on Sheikh Gumi at his official residence in Kaduna,” Obi tweeted.
And in a response, the CAN Chairman, Abia State chapter, Apostle Emmanuel Agomuo, said the visit was a demonstration that Obi who is a Christian with a Muslim running mate does not discriminate against any religion.
Agomuo said that the former Governor had also shown respect for every religion and would not use religion as a tool for political gain.
He regretted that some desperate politicians had always exploited the country’s fault lines of religion and ethnicity to achieve their political interests.
According to Apostle Agomuo, any serious-minded person “who wants to be trusted with the leadership of the country” should not joke with the religious sensitivity of Nigeria nor try to use religion to gain political power.
The CAN Chairman also stated that Nigeria is a secular state, adding that anyone who is dreaming to be President of the country should be ready to accommodate people of all faith.
He advised that Nigeria should not allow a religious or ethnic bigot to come to power again as the country belongs to no particular religious group but to everybody, Ikengaonline reports.