Politics
‘My presidential bid has no religious undertone,’ Tinubu tells CAN
The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Wednesday met with the leadership of Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Abuja.
The meeting was the continuation of CAN’s interaction with the presidential candidates of all major political parties in the country.
Tinubu was accompanied to the forum by his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, governors and other key members of the ruling party.
At the interactive session, the former Lagos State governor stressed the need for Nigerians to excuse religion from governance.
He noted that Nigeria was being confronted by myriad of challenges, adding that his choice of Kashim Shettima, a Muslim as running mate, was based on competence.
He said: “I seek to become Nigerian president not on religious grounds but on the Constitution. Thanks to the body for the invitation to candidates to speak of their plans for the nation.
“I believe in the need for a secular government and for us to work in the interest of the country just as I did in Lagos State by returning the missionary schools to the rightful owners.
READ ALSO: ‘Nigeria begging for healer not patient’, Melaye aims jibe at Tinubu
“My choice of Shettima is borne out of the urgent need to address the challenges facing the country as Shettima possesses strong leadership abilities which he exhibited when he was the governor of Borno State. I wanted a progressive government that was why I selected Shettima.
“Choosing a Christian running mate would have been easy but that is not the case. We have urgent challenges that do not depend on religious leanings but on the best of hands that can address it.”
In his address, the CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, said the forum provided an opportunity for all to look at the crisis of development and governance in the country and collectively find lasting solutions to the problems.
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...