2023: Why Catholic Bishop Conference Has Not Taken Action On APC Muslim-Muslim Ticket

His Eminence, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, has explained why the Catholic Bishop Conference has yet to make a public decision regarding the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket that the All Progressives Congress (APC) chose for the elections in 2023.

During the first synod of the Catholic Diocese of Osogbo on Wednesday in Ede, Osun state, Bishop Onaiyekan stated that the church was not required to make public statements regarding a political party’s decision.
“Church as an agent of dialogue and reconciliation in our community in the quest for just and peaceful societal order,” was the title of his presentation.
It should be recalled that, despite opposition from some Nigerians, the APC’s Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima ticket has sparked controversy in the country’s political structure.
Additionally, the APC has lost some members who have publicly voiced their reservations and are dissatisfied with the development.
The clergyman stated that the APC’s decision is a calculated effort to garner support.However, he also stated that he would not vote for the ruling party’s faith-based ticket on his own.
According to Onaiyekan, the church leadership should provide its members with an explanation of the implications and consequences of such a ticket and allow them to make an informed decision.
“You will note that the Catholic Bishop Conference has not taken any action on the Muslim/Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress,” he stated.The reason for this is that the Muslim/Muslim ticket is a political choice that the APC as a party made based on the idea that it is the best way for them to win the election or guarantee their victory in the general election in 2023.
“All you can say is that they will have to accept responsibility for the decision they have made; there is no point in telling them not to make such a decision.I will use the one voter’s card I have, by God’s grace.A Muslim/Muslim ticket will never get my vote.This is my choice.
“However, because is a political decision of a political party, what the church can officially do is bring out the fact and tell people that they should take their political decision in accordance with it,” the statement reads.
A representative of the Grand Imam of Osun State, Sheik Musa Animasaun, the president of the Osun Baptist Conference, Dr. Paul Kolawole, and the Secretary of the International Council for Ifa Religion, Dr. Abiodun Fafolarin, were among the others who attended the event.