Christian Leaders in Nigeria’s Northern States Caution against Voting Based on Tribe, Age

“I have started visualizing a good Nigerian leader. That is, a person, who travels across the country and has a friend virtually everywhere he travels to and he knows at least one person that he can communicate with,” the former military General said during the August 6 interview. 

He added that the future President of Nigeria should be “very versed in economics and is also a good politician, who should be able to talk to Nigerians.”

In the August 10 report, the Christian leaders whose message was read by CAN Vice Chairman in the 19 Northern States, Joseph Hayab, say, “Those coming out to talk about the age and region of our next President are only out to start an agenda that will further divide us and put Nigeria in a more difficult situation."

In the report, CAN representatives “warn the country against these unhealthy moves” and further “appeal to Nigerians not to allow these short-sighted and selfish considerations to becloud their reasoning." 

“We have elected leaders in the past based on some of these considerations, but which only ended with regrets and lack of progress," CAN representatives ministering in Kano, Kaduna, Kwara, Zamfara, Benue, Plateau, Borno, Bauchi, Kaduna, Sokoto, Taraba, Niger States say.

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The Church leaders who also serve in Nassarawa, Jigawa, Benue-Plateau, Nebbi, Gombe, Yobe, Katsina States add that "those who have been misleading us with these parochial views anytime elections are around the corner have started a new game, which we must all resist and never give them space.”

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.