The All Progressives Congress (APC) 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, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the plot is 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.
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 is 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,” APC said.
