BY EZE NNADI
Former national vice chairman, South-south of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Prince Hilliard Eta, has accused the Christian Association of Nigeria)(CAN) of acting as a political ATM 🏧f the opposition People’s Democratic Party ( PDP) in it vociferous rejection of the Muslim – Muslim ticket of the ruling party, ahead of the 2023 general election
This is even as Hillard expressed his regrets over the Nigerian youths overwhelming support for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party ( LP), Peter Obi
The former APC national vice chairman, asked the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to stay away from politics, adding that the organisation was acting like a political wing of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
CAN had repeatedly rejected the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC, accusing the ruling party of undermining and having no regard and recognition of Nigerian Christian’s in its political calculations
Hillard, who spoke with newsmen, Tuesday at the national secretariat of the APC in Abuja, therefore called on CAN to reconsider it’s antagonistic posture over the choice of Sen Kashim Shettima as the running mate to the presidential candidate of the APC, Ahmed Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 poll
According to the Cross River State born APC stakeholder; “Politics is different from the pulpit. And the pulpit should not be used to confuse the people of Nigeria. I am a Christian and I am not satisfied with Christendom in Nigeria.
“And it has something to do with what the Muslims are doing. It has more to do with what the pastors are doing. The pastors should question themselves why people are leaving Christianity.
“When you fly in an aeroplane with monies of people who are trecking, when you build universities from the sweat of mothers who cannot pay the fees of their wards, then you know why people are leaving.
“I have been in Abuja since 2014. I have a lot of Muslim friends. At no time did any of my Muslim friends even invite me to the mosque not to speak of me leaving my religion.
“But if I leave my religion today it would be in account of what the pastors are doing which is miracle for naira, prophesies for millions and speaking from both sides of their mouths. So these are some of the things we must question in Christianity not to bring christianity into politics.
“I need to say this. The Christian association of Nigeria (CAN) is the religious wing of the PDP. It has been so established and we have reasons to say so because the sitting Vice President today is a pastor of the Redeemed Christian church of God.
” Yet CAN did not support him in 2019. He was on the ballot in 2015 they did not support him. They supported Atiku Abubakar who is a Muslim because CAN is beholden to the PDP.
“Before this Muslim-Muslim matter came up, we in the South say that the presidency should come to the South whether in PDP or in APC. Now the PDP did their primary first and a Fulani Muslim became their candidate, why did this CAN not speak against that ticket?
“All of a sudden CAN now found its voice the moment the APC selected Sen Shettima as our Vice Presidential candidate. Let me also say here that before Sen Shettima was picked, we had one Alh Masari on the ticket.
“It did not bother them. Do you know why Shettima is bothering them? It is because we know that with Shettima we have locked up the North East geopolitical zone . It’s a political matter, we want to win this election.”
