Dr Uche Diala
Is there a time any one or any party can win Nigerian Presidency without Christian and Muslim votes? Never. God did not even make it so. That is why there is an admixture of Muslims and Christians in varied proportions and ratios all over the nation; including traditional religious worshippers by the way (lest we forget). God does not make mistakes. That I am sure we all agree with, irrespective of our individual religious faith.
I have a serious problem with and trepidation over our excessive mixing of religion with politics Nigeria especially since the return to civilian rule in 1999. That is what has tainted and actually endangered both religions in Nigeria and we must stop digging deeper; if we truly love our religions and Nigeria.
I have heard and read some disappointing comments and words from some religious and circular leaders alike and I wonder whether we understand what we are doing.
My fear is heightened by the fact that there is a preponderance of gullible and brainwashed Nigerians with reduced capacity for independent thought or reasoning beyond the herd mentality positions, taken, packaged, marketed and sold by their religious leaders.
A mixture of tribal and religious jingoism and bigotry is surely a recipe for gargantuan crises so I must sincerely commend His Lordship Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah and a few other religious leaders for their responsible use of words at this time.
Our messaging should be such that protect our religions, our country and our personal relationships even after the elections are over. The election is an event and a moment, even as it has lasting consequences but our lives, our religions, our nation and our relationships are forever; even after we are done here on earth and gone.
My passionate plea and advice is; by all means let everyone promote and campaign for any candidate they choose and do it with objectivity and decency; knowing like I said already that no individual one can win the Presidency with only Christian or Muslim votes. Hence the only sensible thing to do is try to get as many Muslim votes and Christian votes one can get. Surely that will not happen by alienating, disrespecting or denigrating people of religious faiths other than ours.
As we act and talk like it is and ‘Us versus Them’, the ‘other side’ can equally do same. If that is the case; whoever wins or loses, a difficult situation emerges where even if it is ‘our side’ that wins in the end, they cannot govern and I bet you our religion cannot help us out then and the nation suffers; we will all suffer. Do we think about this at all?
I really worry. We did the last two Presidential elections on the altar of hate and bigotry and we saw and are still seeing what it brought to us – even more hate, bigotry, division, tears, blood and death. Today it appears we are desperate to build the 2023 election on the altar of religion and of the most caustic and hypocritical brand. If religion be the opium of the masses, then you do not need a prophet or seer to tell you that we would be in for the ‘senior sister of Beatty’; as they say post-2023.
Before anyone tells me about Muslim-Muslim ticket (I have elaborately and conclusively dealt that), let me quickly say that that issue; having happened and been settled is a non-starter. It is being deliberately played up by some of the same elements who have held many of us mentally hostage for years now with cosmetic religion and religious mercantilism; even if some others involved are ignorant, innocent or sincere but it all boils down to the same thing – mischief.
How So?
Democracy allows for choices; both for the political parties and for the voting masses.
If the All Progressives Congress (APC) for whatever reason; in its foolishness or wisdom settled for a Muslim-Muslim ticket; it is the party’s choice and decision and it is democratic. The party will live with the consequences of its decision and choice; positive or negative at the polls by the collective and aggregate of the decision of the totality of votes of registered Nigerian voters who will vote and there is nothing any one can do about that.
In like manner, the voting masses have their individual democratic choice to make out of all the options available for the Presidential election contest (in the instant case, 16 candidates/parties). They should make it. Again each person will live with the consequences; positive or negative of his or her choice because voting is a personal decision. That is democracy.
So what exactly are all the noise about? If not hypocrisy and sheer mischief. To think that today one’s worthiness and Christian-ness is judged by mere humans by whether or not one supports an independent political party’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket is totally absurd, ridiculous, tragic and shameful; to say the least and the body of Christ in Nigeria needs to do a deep meditation and soul searching.
It is very easy to decode that the current extended hullabaloo in certain quarters and by certain people; after the initial natural and sincere expression of emotions, surprise and even disappointments, is clearly mischievous and ill intended. However, those who think the current mischief will give them political mileage or who are misappropriating it as a campaign strategy should have a quick rethink because apart from creating unnecessary disharmony in the nation, their current conduct could actually boomerang on them.
So trying to recruit any individual(s), groups or group of persons into your believes, anger and fight solely based only on religious considerations even in the face of available options does not help the nation in any way because in the end, it should be about the nation. I doubt religion counts anywhere near the top 20 issues that bother Nigeria and Nigerians today and that deserve desperate attention.
Not surprisingly, it is people who have never voted for the APC or would have never vote APC; even if Senator Bola Tinubu picked a Christian Monk from the North as running mate that are making the most noise. What does that say? It is instructive.
Please, I come in peace and I pray that Nigerians can see beyond the noise and mischief by some and do the needful which is:
1) Assess the political parties by their manifestos and antecedents.
2) Assess the individual candidates by their personality, capacity, track record and manifesto.
Then we would be good to go. If majority of us Nigerians objectively so do, we would realize that religion would have no exalted place in that consideration. Sincerely that is where we need to be as a nation and not religious jingoism. Religion, aside being a personal issue between man and God has not helped Nigeria as a nation and Nigerians as a people.
No one can claim to know or to be in custody of the will or plan of God for Nigeria.
It is time for us to prove whether we are true people of God or hypocrites.
It is time to prove whether we are true ambassadors of our respective religions and sincerely patriotic Nigerians.
It is time to be not just hearers of the word but doers of the word.
It is time for us to take our selfish minds and hearts out of our various religious contraptions (apologies to Fela Kuti) and think about Nigeria.
Peace, wisdom and grace be upon all of us. Above all, may the love of God reside in and reign above us all and our dear nation.
#GodBlessNigeria
© Uche Diala
