The umbrella body for Christians in Nigeria, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has said it was not moved by the announcement of Senator Kashim Shettima as the running mate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
CAN said its leaders were determined to stand their ground against every form of intimidation, including the floating of a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket by the political party.
The association’s chairman, Kaduna state chapter, Rev. John Hayab, said this in an interview with Vanguard on Sunday.
Tinubu, a Muslim, had while fielding questions from journalists earlier in Daura, Katsina state, said he had picked Shettima who is also a Muslim, as a substantive running mate to replace Ibrahim Masari, who was a place holder for the APC vice-presidential slot.
However, reacting to the political development, Hayab said, “We were ready for this announcement. We have put some media outlets on notice. All we are waiting for is the right signal to give a full blown reaction.
“We’ll escalate this issue because our call for fairness and the balancing of the presidential ticket for the sake justice, unity and fairness apparently fell on deaf ears.
“However, CAN is strongly determined to sacrifice everything to protect the interest of the Church in Nigeria. We will not be moved by any form of intimidation,” the CAN leader in the Northern region added.
He reiterated that a more profound reaction would be made available to the public through the media soon.
