Get Guardian on GoogleThe Archbishop of Owerri and former President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji has said the Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket of the APC heightens the ongoing debates and fears surrounding alleged Christian persecution and marginalization.
Speaking at the three-day conference of the Association of Papals Knights and Medallists held at Maria Asumpta Cathedral, Owerri, weekend, Archbishop Ugorji said in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious secular state like Nigeria, power balancing has traditionally served as an unwritten pact to maintain peace and stability.
He cited the controversial remarks by Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, who recently urged the use of Muslim numerical strength to maintain a Muslim/Muslim ticket while labelling non-Muslims infidels, as an example that strengthens jihadist narratives and reinforces fear of Christian persecution.
“It has been argued that abandoning this ethno-religious balance for pragmatic reasons of strategic and electoral math seems insensitive and appears to ignore the huge consequences of such a choice which heightens mutual suspicion and distrust among Christians and Muslims communities, deepens polarization along religious divides, encourages faith-driven voting pattern above other considerations, feeds fear of the marginalisation of Christians at the highest level of executive power and emboldens extremists Muslims to act and speak with impunity.” he said.
Also, in his keynote address at the conference, the Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Most Rev. Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe said Christians have power to change government and urged them to do the right thing in the 2027 election by electing the right leaders.
According to him, “Catholics alone have over 30 million population. No politician has won up to 15 million votes. If Christians should team up together to vote a person of their choice, we have the capacity to change this government,”.
Warning about bandit attacks, Bishop Anagbe alleged that 360 communities in the South East are inhabited by Fulani, saying the nation is sitting on a time bomb if care is not taken.
“Let’s be conscious of our environment, let the right thing be done. We should be vigilant, we have to be very careful. We have the capacity as Knights, as policy makers, we know who to meet and what to be done. We must help this country flourish, we must serve this society without fear.”
He disclosed that he lost over 20 parishes to bandits between 2020 and 2021, and that for over two decades, IDPs are still living in camps and need to return to their ancestral homes, and not to be resettled elsewhere by the Federal Government.
Equally, the President of Association of Papal Knights and Medillists, AKPM, Sir Steve Adehi, corroborated the concerns of Bishop Anagbe his speech.
He said, “In recent times we have witnessed wicked and calculated attacks on churches. Many parishes have closed down, many parishioners killed during Mass, many kidnapped, churches destroyed.
“Whether we call it genocide or destruction or coincidence, one thing is very clear, the Church is at the receiving end and a lot of Christians are being killed. These are issues which we need to sit down and discuss but no one is doing so.”
