An Islamic organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties against picking any member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) as their presidential candidates in 2023.
Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo is a pastor of RCCG.
Although Osinbajo has not openly declared his interest in the 2023 presidential race, different groups have been soliciting Nigerians’ support for the vice-president.
In January, a group called the Concerned Citizens of Nigeria launched an online petition urging Nigerians to persuade him to contest the presidency in 2023.
Barrister Idrees Gambo, Bauchi State Chairman of MURIC in a statement said any political party that picked any Redeemer as its presidential candidate should “kiss the Aso Rock goodbye.”
He said, “Since the Redeemed Church of Christ Group (RCCG) has the effrontery to launch a national political structure, the rest of us have no option but to challenge this existential threat.
“We must work towards our survival before the RCCG tsunami threat sweeps Islam and other Christian denominations out of existence.
“It is very clear that the plan of our Redeemer friends is to eliminate other religions or turn their faithful into political slaves.
“The ugly experience of our Muslim brothers in Yorubaland where they are persecuted politically and marginalised economically despite their superior numerical strength is enough for us to know what is likely to happen if members of the RCCG take over the reins of power either in Aso Rock or in any state in the manner they are going about it at the moment. We in the North have been watching this ugly development with keen interest.
“In fact, it is unimaginable to expect the emergence of RCCG candidates as winners in the Northern states and we will ensure that this does not happen now or any time in the future. We are not unaware of the ‘winner-takes-all’ mentality of the RCCG but Northern Muslims will never expose their land to such obnoxious cultural invasion, as what we want is a society where everyone is treated equally.
“The RCCG declaration of a directorate of political affairs was met with great annoyance by us in the North and it has destroyed any goodwill Christian politicians enjoy here in the North. It is so bad that any Muslim who queues behind a redeemer is now considered a traitor to the cause of Islam and this is not what we want at this critical point in our nation.”
Gambo added, “Although MURIC will not support any political party against another during the coming general election, we warn Islamic organizations and Muslim communities against hobnobbing with any RCCG candidate, whether presidential or gubernatorial.
“While our interest lies in credible candidates who are most likely to benefit their states or the country as a whole, we frown upon attempts by the RCCG to turn the whole country into Redeemers territory. It had better not be. The RCCG plot is dangerous, provocative and contemptuous. Our warning to all political parties is: pick redeemer candidate, kiss Aso Rock goodbye.”
