RELIGIOUS FACTOR THAT EARNS AJIBOLA GUBER TICKET HOW REDEEM LEADER, ADEBOYE, INFLUENCED JONATHAN ON KWARA FLAG BEARER STATE CHRISTIAN LEADERS MOBILIZE MEMBERS FOR PDP CANDIDATE BELGORE, FOOT SOLDIERS MAY JOIN APC Barely a month after Senator Simeon Ajibola’s emergence as the Kwara State Gubernatorial Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), National Pilot can report that DELE BELGORE lost the contest on the context of religion allegedly orchestrated by the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, with the full support of President Goodluck Jonathan. According to findings by this medium, BELGORE, though was the preferred candidate of the presidency, had to be traded at the last hour for Ajibola to balance what source termed the “religious factor” introduced by some Christians in the state to the whole process. The source, who did not want his name in print because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, told our reporter that it took the personal intervention of Adeboye to convince Jonathan who he has his listening ears to dump BELGORE. The argument, the source noted, was that after the emergence of GOVERNOR ABDULFATAH AHMED from the APC who is a Muslim, another Muslim candidate from the main opposition party would put them in a huge religious disadvantage. “The issue has to do with the religious disagreement they (Christians) had with the state government over return of mission schools which almost snowballed into religious a crisis”, the source added. Though the issue had been resolved amicably with the state government sending a bill to the state House of Assembly which took care of all parties involved, a party source confirmed “the Christian had earlier taken the matter to Adeboye alleging that Muslims in the state and the government are persecuting them. “To this end, 48 hours to the rerun guber primary of the PDP (held on December 11), which produced Ajibola, Adeboye flew to the seat of power where he paid a courtesy visit to the president where discussion on the “consequences of the party’s ticket on going to a Muslim candidate on Christians in the state was discussed.” This was what necessitated by the committee headed by the Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, another Christian, who conducted the exercise and with alleged instruction to “do the needful” by ensuring that Ajibola, the only Christian candidate among 13 PDP aspirants emerged, it was further gathered. It would be recalled that Suwam reportedly shunned all the overtures made to him by Hajia Muinat Shagaya, the billionaire business mogul, who even made available her private jet to convey Suswam and his team. Lending credence to this was also the silence of BELGORE since the primary. It is also alleged that BELGORE and his foot soldiers are contemplating dumping the party for the APC. Also, this medium gathered that the message from Adeboye together with some financial inducements were allegedly passed round to the Christians, though majority of them rejected it. “Most of them (Christians) maintained that the Christian community in the state have over the years been living in harmony with their fellow Kwarans and the leadership of the state has never been determined along religious lines. “If we have a governor who is a Muslim, the deputy will be Christian. All other political benefits such as elective positions are determined by individual participation as the constitution and not religion have been used as the parameter. “So whipping religious sentiment now is not accepted to us, another Christian source added. But reacting to the development, Secretary, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for the 19 North Central States, Reverend Cornelius Fawenu, who said some ‘unscrupulous elements’ in the association might be hiding under the cloak of religion to canvass for vote, noted that the body is concerned about candidate with best credentials irrespective of religion. “As far as the commission is concerned, our primary objective is to pray for the nation and encourage politicians to play by the rules. It’s about service and not sentiment. “All Christians in the state should disregard anybody canvassing for vote on the issue of religion and vote for the right candidates”, Fawenu, a former state CAN scribe added.
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 20:57:50 +0000
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