NO TO ANOTHER JUNE 12 - MURIC

 

PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS ORGANISED BY THE MUSLIM RIGHTS CONCERN (MURIC) IN LAGOS ON TUESDAY, 28^TH FEBRUARY, 2023.

 

PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE 2023 GENERAL ELECTIONS ORGANISED BY THE MUSLIM RIGHTS CONCERN (MURIC) IN LAGOS ON TUESDAY, 28^TH FEBRUARY, 2023.

 

NO TO ANOTH
ER JUNE 12 - MURIC

 

Distinguished Muslim leaders,

Officials and members of MURIC here present,

Gentlemen of the Press.

As-Salaam Alaykunm

 

Millions of Nigerians trooped out to exercise their franchise yesterday, Saturday, 25^th February, 2023 in a keenly contested presidential election. Interestingly, the final results are still being awaited as the nation’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been announcing the results in trickles. Only 14 out of 36 states have been announced as at Monday evening.

This delay is quite unusual and it has been traced partly to some logistic problems being faced by the electoral body at state level. But the lion share of the blame for the delay must go to the party agents of two political parties, one of which is Nigeria’s main opposition party.

Whereas INEC had set up its situation room in Abuja by 12 noon on Sunday, 26^th February, 2023 and it has since adopted a business-like approach, the party agents appear determined to constitute clogs in the wheel of progress.

Labour Party whose result as announced by INEC showed that it was in the third position with little chance of catching up actually demanded that INEC should stop the collation exercise.

But the agent of the main opposition party who had persistently protested against the procedure and raised certain concerns with impertinence later staged a walkout during the collation. We find this very disturbing and highly opinionated.

This attitude stands in contradistinction with African values of decorum in public places. We believe that anyone in the INEC situation room can ask questions or pass comments but decency and moderation are mandatory. Nobody has the right to insist on truncating the collation exercise of a presidential election in which millions had participated just because he could not get his wish done immediately.

Every institution has its laid down rules and certain methods of resolving issues. There is a pattern laid down for agents and their political parties for solving problems encountered by them. That is what we call due process.

The agent of the main opposition party expected too much from the INEC chairman when he insisted that certain perceived errors in the documents submitted should be corrected by the chairman on the floors of the situation room. The chairman merely asked for due process to be followed and this drew the ire of the agent. He therefore stormed out of the place.

This behaviour is a sad reminder of the condescending behaviour of another agent of the same party also during the collation of the results of the 2015 presidential election. It is unparliamentary.

It smirks of gross desertification of vital qualities like patience and coolheadedness which people who represent esteemed establishments should possess. Political parties are advised to screen their agents and spokespersons with microscopic accuracy before putting them on the assignment.

INEC should not listen to these agents diaboli. The electoral body should not stop the collation of results, rather the exercise should continue until all the results are announced and certificates of return given to the winners. The same continuity should be extended to gubernatorial as well as national and state assembly elections.

We wish to appeal to participants who are currently in the INEC situation room as well as future participants to view their role as a serious national assignment that cannot accommodate any form of reckless behaviour. They should note that the tribunal is there to adjudicate in their grievances should there be any. We charge political actors to weigh their words before uttering them so as not to set the country on fire.

NO TO ANOTHER JUNE 12

This is another June 12 loading. Like Arthur Nzeribe headed for the courts in 1993 to stop the announcement of results of the June 12 election, the agent of the main opposition and his cohorts who stormed out of the collation centre is allegedly looking for a court injunction to stop proceedings at the collation centre. This was exactly how the June 12, 1993 election was annulled by the military. Anybody who supports this move is dragging Nigeria back to the Stone Age. We say NO to another June 12.

In this regard, we denounce the unsolicited and jaundiced intervention of former President Olusegun Obasanjo who called for the cessation of the collation of results. We are nonplussed that a main beneficiary of democracy failed woefully to respect democratic process. Obasanjo’s call is sacriledgious. It is a rape of democracy. It is an attempted coup.

Obasanjo’s sanctimonious façade comes crumbling down against the background of his role in the enthronement of Musa Yaradua as president. The latter himself admitted that he was rigged into office. Now we know it takes a rigger to see rigging even in his sleep. Obasanjo is desperate because his anointed candidate has not performed well at the polls. His intention is to force him on us. Obasanjo wants to reap by the bends what he could not get by the straight.

Keen observers will realise that it is those who know that they have lost the election who are now calling for a halt to the collation of results. This is not the way of real men. Neither is it the way of genuine democrats. It is cowardly and escapist. There is honour in acceptance of defeat. Great politicians do not hesitate to congratulate the winner when they lose elections. That is true sportsmanship.    

The allegation of rigging coming from those who know that they are about to lose this election is lame, baseless and unfounded. African politicians hide under the umbrella of rigging when they have been beaten black and blue at the polls.

For instance, President Muhammadu Buhari lost the election in Katsina, his home state, during this same election. Did he also rig that? The presidential candidate of the ruling party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, lost his home base, Lagos. People are already asking if Tinubu rigged himself out of Lagos. Even the national chairman of the ruling party, Senator Adamu Abdullahi, lost his base in Nasarawa State. Again, did Governor El-Rufai plot with riggers to rig him out in Kaduna State?

In Plateau State, the Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council of the ruling party and state governor, Simon Lalong, lost the state and you still have the temerity to accuse such a party of rigging the election. It really beggars belief. A ruling party that is bent on rigging must first secure the party chairman’s base. The governor of Yobe, Mai Mala Buni, was defeated. Did he rig himself out? Did Senate spokesman who lost this election rig himself out? This rigging allegation stands logic on its head. Why do you accept results when you win but cry foul when you lose? It is a manifestation of double standard.

MURIC notes with keen interest the way Governor Ortom of Benue State did an acrobatic U-turn after discovering that the mandate went to a Southern Muslim. We commend the two G-5 governors, Nyesom Wike of Rivers and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for working for the success of a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Governors Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo and Abayomi Oyebanji of Ekiti also deserve our encomiums. Nigerian Muslims will not forget.

Equally deserving of our panegyrics is INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, particularly for taking the aggression of agents with equanimity.

We advise international observers to pass their comments through diplomatic channels so as not to ignite crisis in the country. Democracy is not perfect even in sophisticated climes. International observers should not be swayed by Obasanjo’s involvement. This man has no political relevance in Nigeria. He could not even deliver his polling booth on Saturday to the candidate endorsed by him.

Experience has also shown that no election is perfect. Russia is still under suspicion of interrupting US election in 2017. Donald Trump’s January 6 insurrection has demystified America’s myth of a perfect democracy. Britain has had four prime ministers in four years. International observers should therefore act with utmost constraint and caution.

In conclusion, MURIC condemns attempts to disrupt the collation of 2023 presidential results. We charge politicians to give democracy a breathing space. We advise losers to take graceful exits while winners are urged to be magnanimous. In actual fact there is no winner, no vanquished in a national election of this nature. The real winner is Nigeria so long as we allow peace to reign. May Nigeria survive.

Long Live The Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Gentlemen of the press, thank you for listening.

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Executive Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

 

 

 

 

Distinguished Muslim leaders,

Officials and members of MURIC here present,

Gentlemen of the Press.

As-Salaam Alaykunm

 

Millions of Nigerians trooped out to exercise their franchise yesterday, Saturday, 25^th February, 2023 in a keenly contested presidential election. Interestingly, the final results are still being awaited as the nation’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been announcing the results in trickles. Only 14 out of 36 states have been announced as at Monday evening.

This delay is quite unusual and it has been traced partly to some logistic problems being faced by the electoral body at state level. But the lion share of the blame for the delay must go to the party agents of two political parties, one of which is Nigeria’s main opposition party.

Whereas INEC had set up its situation room in Abuja by 12 noon on Sunday, 26^th February, 2023 and it has since adopted a business-like approach, the party agents appear determined to constitute clogs in the wheel of progress.

Labour Party whose result as announced by INEC showed that it was in the third position with little chance of catching up actually demanded that INEC should stop the collation exercise.

But the agent of the main opposition party who had persistently protested against the procedure and raised certain concerns with impertinence later staged a walkout during the collation. We find this very disturbing and highly opinionated.

This attitude stands in contradistinction with African values of decorum in public places. We believe that anyone in the INEC situation room can ask questions or pass comments but decency and moderation are mandatory. Nobody has the right to insist on truncating the collation exercise of a presidential election in which millions had participated just because he could not get his wish done immediately.

Every institution has its laid down rules and certain methods of resolving issues. There is a pattern laid down for agents and their political parties for solving problems encountered by them. That is what we call due process.

The agent of the main opposition party expected too much from the INEC chairman when he insisted that certain perceived errors in the documents submitted should be corrected by the chairman on the floors of the situation room. The chairman merely asked for due process to be followed and this drew the ire of the agent. He therefore stormed out of the place.

This behaviour is a sad reminder of the condescending behaviour of another agent of the same party also during the collation of the results of the 2015 presidential election. It is unparliamentary.

It smirks of gross desertification of vital qualities like patience and coolheadedness which people who represent esteemed establishments should possess. Political parties are advised to screen their agents and spokespersons with microscopic accuracy before putting them on the assignment.

INEC should not listen to these agents diaboli. The electoral body should not stop the collation of results, rather the exercise should continue until all the results are announced and certificates of return given to the winners. The same continuity should be extended to gubernatorial as well as national and state assembly elections.

We wish to appeal to participants who are currently in the INEC situation room as well as future participants to view their role as a serious national assignment that cannot accommodate any form of reckless behaviour. They should note that the tribunal is there to adjudicate in their grievances should there be any. We charge political actors to weigh their words before uttering them so as not to set the country on fire.

NO TO ANOTHER JUNE 12

This is another June 12 loading. Like Arthur Nzeribe headed for the courts in 1993 to stop the announcement of results of the June 12 election, the agent of the main opposition and his cohorts who stormed out of the collation centre is allegedly looking for a court injunction to stop proceedings at the collation centre. This was exactly how the June 12, 1993 election was annulled by the military. Anybody who supports this move is dragging Nigeria back to the Stone Age. We say NO to another June 12.

In this regard, we denounce the unsolicited and jaundiced intervention of former President Olusegun Obasanjo who called for the cessation of the collation of results. We are nonplussed that a main beneficiary of democracy failed woefully to respect democratic process. Obasanjo’s call is sacriledgious. It is a rape of democracy. It is an attempted coup.

Obasanjo’s sanctimonious façade comes crumbling down against the background of his role in the enthronement of Musa Yaradua as president. The latter himself admitted that he was rigged into office. Now we know it takes a rigger to see rigging even in his sleep. Obasanjo is desperate because his anointed candidate has not performed well at the polls. His intention is to force him on us. Obasanjo wants to reap by the bends what he could not get by the straight.

Keen observers will realise that it is those who know that they have lost the election who are now calling for a halt to the collation of results. This is not the way of real men. Neither is it the way of genuine democrats. It is cowardly and escapist. There is honour in acceptance of defeat. Great politicians do not hesitate to congratulate the winner when they lose elections. That is true sportsmanship.    

The allegation of rigging coming from those who know that they are about to lose this election is lame, baseless and unfounded. African politicians hide under the umbrella of rigging when they have been beaten black and blue at the polls.

For instance, President Muhammadu Buhari lost the election in Katsina, his home state, during this same election. Did he also rig that? The presidential candidate of the ruling party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, lost his home base, Lagos. People are already asking if Tinubu rigged himself out of Lagos. Even the national chairman of the ruling party, Senator Adamu Abdullahi, lost his base in Nasarawa State. Again, did Governor El-Rufai plot with riggers to rig him out in Kaduna State?

In Plateau State, the Director General of the Presidential Campaign Council of the ruling party and state governor, Simon Lalong, lost the state and you still have the temerity to accuse such a party of rigging the election. It really beggars belief. A ruling party that is bent on rigging must first secure the party chairman’s base. The governor of Yobe, Mai Mala Buni, was defeated. Did he rig himself out? Did Senate spokesman who lost this election rig himself out? This rigging allegation stands logic on its head. Why do you accept results when you win but cry foul when you lose? It is a manifestation of double standard.

MURIC notes with keen interest the way Governor Ortom of Benue State did an acrobatic U-turn after discovering that the mandate went to a Southern Muslim. We commend the two G-5 governors, Nyesom Wike of Rivers and Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for working for the success of a Muslim-Muslim ticket. Governors Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo and Abayomi Oyebanji of Ekiti also deserve our encomiums. Nigerian Muslims will not forget.

Equally deserving of our panegyrics is INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, particularly for taking the aggression of agents with equanimity.

We advise international observers to pass their comments through diplomatic channels so as not to ignite crisis in the country. Democracy is not perfect even in sophisticated climes. International observers should not be swayed by Obasanjo’s involvement. This man has no political relevance in Nigeria. He could not even deliver his polling booth on Saturday to the candidate endorsed by him.

Experience has also shown that no election is perfect. Russia is still under suspicion of interrupting US election in 2017. Donald Trump’s January 6 insurrection has demystified America’s myth of a perfect democracy. Britain has had four prime ministers in four years. International observers should therefore act with utmost constraint and caution.

In conclusion, MURIC condemns attempts to disrupt the collation of 2023 presidential results. We charge politicians to give democracy a breathing space. We advise losers to take graceful exits while winners are urged to be magnanimous. In actual fact there is no winner, no vanquished in a national election of this nature. The real winner is Nigeria so long as we allow peace to reign. May Nigeria survive.

Long Live The Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Gentlemen of the press, thank you for listening.

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Executive Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

 

 

 

MURIC TO CANDIDATES : THINK MORE OF NIGERIA

 

27^th February, 2023

PRESS RELEASE:

MURIC TO CANDIDATES : THINK MORE OF NIGERIA  

As Nigerians await results of the 2023 presidential election, an Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has appealed to candidates of the three major political parties to think more of Nigeria as the nation awaits results of the 2023 presidential elections.

The group urged all candidates to avoid inflammable statements and to demonstrate faith in the country’s electoral system. The organisation further urged politicians and their followers to eschew post-election violence and to seek redress in the court of law if aggrieved.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Monday, 27^th February, 2023.

The full statement reads:

“Nigerians went to the polls on Saturday, 25^th February, 2023 to pick their 16^th president, senators and representatives. As at today, Monday 27^th February, 2023, the results are still coming in trickles. But already, there have been pockets of violence in a few places around the country although this has not been widespread and they have been contained.

“MURIC appeals to all candidates in the 2023 general elections to think more of Nigeria now and in the next few weeks. Elections weigh heavily on contestants and the tendency is for emotions to run high among supporters. But true democrats and responsible contestants and patriotic candidates are usually identified by the way they control their sentiments and how they guide their supporters towards actions capable of stemming tension.

“We urge candidates to demonstrate readiness to accept results and to congratulate the winner since there can only be one winner and only one president after elections. There can be no democracy without losers and winners. Contestants should be aware that their positive and guided utterances and actions can rebuild Nigeria and transform the political ecosystem whereas provocative and reckless statements are capable of burning the country down.

We urge all candidates to avoid inflammable statements and to demonstrate faith in the country’s electoral and judicial systems. Furthermore, we urge politicians and their followers to eschew post-election violence and to seek redress in the court of law if aggrieved.

“MURIC affirms that no candidate’s victory or loss is worth a single human life or a pint of blood. No Nigerian must be denied the right to live as a fallout of post-election controversies. Candidates should realise that the blood of victims of post-election violence shall be on their hands.

“We warn that the international community is waiting by the ringsides. Nigeria must not be turned into a caricature of democracy and a laughing stock in the commity of nations. Neither should any candidate attempt to burn the bridge after crossing it because the lives of more than 200 million Nigerians are at stake. Therefore, candidates should realise that Nigeria is bigger than all the contestants put together.”

#NigeriaMustSurvive   #ThinkNigeria

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Executive Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

 

NAIRA SWAP SAGA: MOVE AGAINST CBN NOW - MURIC

 

18^th February, 2023

PRESS RELEASE:

NAIRA SWAP SAGA: MOVE AGAINST CBN NOW - MURIC  

 

Amidst a protracted Nigerian fiscal crisis, an Islamic human rights organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to move against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for its gross ineptitude which has caused hunger and pain in the country. The group also urged the president to abide by the pronouncement of the Supreme Court on naira swap.

 

This was made known on Saturday, 18^th February, 2023 in a statement signed by the Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

The statement reads:

“Millions of Nigerians have been going through excruciating pain, hunger and starvation since the Nigerian fiscal crisis began. Movement from one place to another has been extremely difficult and outrightly impossible in some cases. Patients in both public and private hospitals are finding it difficult to pay for their treatment.

 

“Parents and students suffer psychological trauma due to difficulties in money transfers. The poor masses are the worst for it. Food vendors are rejecting old notes possessed by poor citizens. Thousands of Nigerians are therefore forced to go without food. Transporters have refused to take the old notes and commuters are stranded. Millions of Nigerians cannot go to work. The economy may soon collapse and this is no false alarm.

 

“Driven by pity for the deplorable condition of their beloved ones, responsible and decent men have started begging for food to feed their families while unsolicited bank account details are now flying all over cyber space. Something must be done urgently to address the present impasse.

 

“MURIC advises the presidency to move against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) without delay. It is obvious that this institution has failed to effectively distribute the new notes as well as monitor its disbursement to members of the public. It has created a fiscal bottleneck by withdrawing more than N2 trillion from the public and issuing a paltry N300 or N500 billion in return. This is either due to gross ineptitude, stack sadism or economic sabotage. Heads must roll in the CBN for this. Can Emefiele and his team try this in China?

 

“Yet we must tell President Buhari the truth. The buck stops at his table. It has become necessary that urgent relief is found for the suffering jamaaheer (masses) within the shortest time possible.

 

“Apart from this, Mr. President must find a way of abiding by the decision of the Supreme Court which earlier ruled that the old and new currencies should run parri passu. Respect for the principle of separation of powers is cardinal for the survival of democracy. This must not be too difficult for President Buhari at the twilight of his administration having been known to have always respected the rule of law.

 

“One thing must be stated very clearly. Nigerians are not begging for money. They are simply demanding the return of funds legitimately earned by them which the CBN cunningly and most wickedly forced them to deposit but failed to change to new notes as earlier promised. It is a breach of contract.

 

“Notwithstanding these inconveniences, we appeal to Nigerians to bear with patience and fortitude. This cup will pass. Any resort to violence will only cause more harm to the poor masses and struggling businessmen and women.

 

“For instance, the shops that were reportedly looted yesterday during demonstrations against the cash crunch belonged to some poor and innocent Nigerians. The owners of those shops may not be able to recover from the losses in the next five years.

 

“We call on religious leaders to intensify their prayers for the nation. Prayer points should include peaceful 2023 elections, smooth transition, political stability and economic buoyancy for our dear country, Nigeria. Pray for Nigeria’s political leaders that Allah may imbue them with the wisdom necessary to steer our ship of state to safety and pray for the youth to engage only in those things that will make this country great.”

#AxeCBNNow  #AllowOldAndNewCurrency  #StopTheHunger

 

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Executive Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

 

WE HAVE A DEAL : MURIC REMINDS THE NORTH

 

15^th February, 2023

PRESS RELEASE:

WE HAVE A DEAL : MURIC REMINDS NORTH  

 

A faith-based civil liberties organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has reminded Northern Muslims of their promise to support a Southern Muslim in the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria.

 

A statement signed by the Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Wednesday, 15^th February, 2023 urged Islamic scholars based in the North to remind Northern political leaders of their pledge to support Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

 

The full statement reads :

 

“Nigerians will go to the polls on Saturday, 25^th February 2023 to elect a new president and state governors two weeks later (Saturday, 11^th March, 2023).

 

 

“Seven Southern Christians have been presidents and vice presidents whereas no Muslim from the South has smelled the aroma of Aso Rock since independence. The seven Christians include Brigadier Babafemi Olatunde Ogundipe,  Vice Admiral Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey, Mathew Olusegun Obasanjo, Earnest Shonekan, General Donaldson Oladipo Diya, Goodluck Jonathan and Pastor Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo.

 

 

“This development weakened the majority Yoruba Muslims and emboldened the Christian minority in Yorubaland to subject the Muslim population to political marginalization, economic deprivation, social marginalisation, stigmatization, dehumanization and outright infringement on Allah-given fundamental human rights of Muslims.

 

 

“Yoruba Muslims had to seek justice in the courts and several cases are still in the courts. The sufferings of Muslims in the region led our organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), to demand, as early as 2021, for the emergence of a Muslim of Yoruba extraction as a presidential candidate.  

 

 

“Working in concert with a prominent Islamic organization based in the North and a newly established group of Yoruba Islamic scholars with the support of some Northern leaders, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress.

 

 

“Tinubu’s victory at the primaries was the product of intensive lobby and insistence on power shift to the South by twelve Northern governors whom MURIC later tagged ‘The Noble Dozen’. The heroic role played by Governors El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Ganduje of Kano and Zulum of Borno cannot be over-emphasised in this regard.

 

 

“The ‘Noble Dozen’ were able to prove to Nigerians beyond any iota of doubt that the spirit of the great Sadauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello and Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, Nigeria’s first prime minister, is still very much alive.

 

 

“It is now ten days to D-day. While we do not want to give credence to rumours, we find it necessary to reiterate our commitment to the deals reached in the days before and after the primaries. We still call attention to agreements reached with our Muslim brothers in the daytime as well as pledges made in the dead of the night on this subject matter. Our sleepless nights, the long hours of brainstorming together, the long trips and security risks taken together must not be in vain.

 

 

“Our brothers know very well that agreements reached by Muslims are sacrosanct. They know that it is a sin to break a pledge. Come rain come shine, genuine Muslims must not renege on their promises. Almighty Allah commands Muslims to fulfill pledges (Glorious Qur’an 5:1 aofuu bil ‘uquud). He says those who renege on their promises will be questioned over it on the Day of Judgement (Qur’an 17:34 inna al-‘ahada kaana mas’uulan)

 

 

“We also learnt from the hadith of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) that hypocrites can be identified through three signs. Firstly, they tell lies when they speak. Secondly, they fail to keep their promises. Thirdly, they betray you when you put your trust in them.

 

 

“But the act of solidarity manifested by the twelve Northern governors before the primaries has assured us that Northern Muslims do not have any trait of treachery or hypocrisy in them. For this we give kudos to the El-Rufai camp. Even El-Rufai’s latest utterances have further reinforced the commitment of the North to our agreements.

 

 

“We remind President Muhammadu Buhari that the emergence of a Yoruba Muslim president was the crux of the discussion during his one-on-one with the Executive Director of MURIC in Aso Rock in 2022.

 

 

“To Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso we have this to say: ‘The emergence of a Yoruba Muslim as president of Nigeria is sine qua non to the liberation of millions of Yoruba Muslims who are languishing in the ‘sugarcane plantations’ of the agents of neo-imperialism which they call schools in the South West. You both stand on the threshold of history today to decide whether you must put your ambition first or freedom for fellow Muslims in Yorubaland. You have the right to choose but note that we do not forget those who stand by us in time of need.’

 

 

“As we drop the anchor, we remind our Northern brothers and sisters that only a formidable Muslim Ummah in Nigeria can confront the challenges posed by neocolonialism. All eyes are on the North today as Southern Muslims struggle for emancipation. They must not be mortgaged for a pot of porridge. The noble ideals of a united and indivisible Nigeria for which Sardauna and Balewa died must be kept alive”.

 

#YorubaMuslimForPresident  #NorthFulfilYourPledge  #KeepTheSardaunaBalewaSpiritAlive   

 

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Executive Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)

 

ALLEGATION OF RECEIVING N2B FROM PETER OBI: PUT YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER – MURIC TELLS CAN

 

13^th February, 2023

PRESS RELEASE:

 ALLEGATION OF RECEIVING N2B FROM PETER OBI: PUT YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER – MURIC TELLS CAN

 

A popular pastor, Frank Onwumere, has alleged that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, gave the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the sum of N2 billion to endorse him for the presidency. Although CAN has denied the allegation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has identified grey areas in the matter which CAN should clarify.

 

This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Executive Director of MURIC, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Monday, 13^th February, 2023.

The statement reads :

“A popular pastor, Frank Onwumere, yesterday alleged that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, gave the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the sum of N2 billion to endorse him for the presidency (https://www.thetimes.com.ng/2023/02/breaking-peter-obi-gave-us-n2-billion-to-endorse-him-for-presidency-popular-pastor-alleged-obidattiinlagos/).

 

 

“Although CAN has denied the allegation, certain grey areas need clarification, at least for the Nigerian public. For instance, the petition written by Pastor Frank Onwumere was dated 15^th December, 2022. It was submitted and received in CAN office on 22^nd December, 2023. This can be seen in the CAN stamp on the petition when it was stamped ‘received’.

 

 

“The Nigerian public may want to know why CAN remained silent regarding the petition for almost two months until the petitioner went on social media yesterday Sunday, 12^th February, 2023. The investigation CAN president now promised to conduct could have been carried out in the last week of December 2022 or in the first week of January 2023. What caused the delay? Why did CAN wait until Pastor Frank came out on social media?

 

 

“CAN president’s claim that the petitioner just wanted to drag CAN into the 2023 politics does not convince anyone because CAN itself had gate-crashed into the political arena a long time ago.

 

 

“Did CAN caution the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) when it announced the launching of its politics department and its setting up of political bureaus in all its parishes with the aim of promoting the political chances of its members? (https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/516693-redeemed-church-sets-up-political-department-ahead-of-2023-general-elections.html?tztc=1).

 

 

“Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) immediately took the cue from RCCG by directing all churches to establish directorates of politics. Today was born from the wombs of yesterday. These things happened yesterday. CAN may have forgotten but chroniclers and researchers still remember them today.

 

 

“We keep the records : https://www.thecable.ng/pfn-backs-rccg-asks-churches-to-create-politics-directorate; https://independent.ng/pfn-directs-churches-to-appoint-political-officers/. Denial of CAN’s special interest and involvement in 2023 politics is ridiculous because evidence of the contrary is already overwhelming. Pastor Frank is not attempting to drag CAN into 2023 politics because CAN is already neck deep in its mucky waters.

 

 

“MURIC is not really interested in the veracity or otherwise of Pastor Frank’s allegation because nothing came out of similar allegations in the past. CAN might not have collected N2 billion from Peter Obi for the same reason that CAN might not have collected N7 billion from former President Goodluck Jonathan during the 2025 electioneering campaigns (https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/177234-can-denies-collecting-n7billion-bribe-demands-probe.html).

 

 

“But the vigour and passion CAN throws into the pursuance of political matters will always remain suspicious. For instance, we know that all the noise over Muslim-Muslim ticket is not unconnected with CAN’s fear of losing influence and patronage in the highest corridor of power in the land. It is not about the ordinary Christian. Again, we are interested in the outcome of this fresh allegation because it may provide a logical raison d’etre for the Muslim-Muslim ticket imbroglio.

 

 

“We advise CAN to put its house in order. Pastor Frank does not look like a timid petitioner. The gap between 22^nd December 2023 and yesterday, Sunday 12^th February 2023 needs filling. Nigerians are yearning for a more convincing narrative, not an escapist version of an idealistic group that does not want to touch ‘dirty’ politics with a long pole.”

 

#CANFillTheGap

 

 

Professor Ishaq Akintola,

Executive Director,

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)