The immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara has supported the position of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) which rejected the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Dogara said the position of CAN is the position of God, adding that adopting a Muslim-Muslim ticket in a diverse country like Nigeria is a recipe for disunity and disaster.
The former Speaker spoke Wednesday at the 12th General Assembly and Leadership Transition Ceremony and Symposium on the Role of Christian Women and Youths in Politics, organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria in Abuja.
Dogara said: “The position taken by CAN is not only CAN’s position, it is not only the position of notable Christian leaders like Babachir David Lawal, the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation and many others who have spoken against it, it is also God’s position because we serve the God of justice, but our God is also righteous, our God is the author of diversity, and He wants as diverse as we are to come together.
“So, CAN’s position, as much as it is a righteous position, it is the position of all of us who love righteousness, justice, and diversity and are working to harness it for the advancement of this country.
“Anybody can say anything but in as much as what we are standing on is godly, any other position is ungodly. It is either you are for righteousness, inclusiveness, justice or you are against the unity of this great country,” he said.
Dogara called on women and youths to emulate the lives of Esther and Deborah in the Holy Bible who stood up for their people in times of national crisis in Israel.
Quoting from the book of John 3:3, he argued that only those who are born again can enter the kingdom of God and that it is a righteous thing for born-again Christians to participate in politics.
Drawing from the parable of talents in the Holy Bible, Hon. Dogara called on Christians to utilize their individual talents for the advancement of the kingdom to impact on their communities and societies as everyone will account before the creator for how they used their talents.
He said that to participate in politics does not mean everyone must run for elective offices, as women and youths can organize and mobilize their communities to participate actively in the democratic process such as voter registration, adding that “as Christians, the scripture says we are the salt and light of the world.”