More than 10,000 Christians in Nigeria took to the streets to protest because they are VERY worried about what an all-Muslim presidential ticket might do to their country.
From the Christian Post:
More than 10,000 Nigerian Christians staged a protest in the African nation's capital against an all-Muslim presidential ticket for Nigeria's ruling party, expressing concerns over religious tolerance.
The protest took place in Abuja on July 15, with a major issue being the Muslim-Muslim ticket created by Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the candidate for the All Progressives Congress party. President Muhammadu Buhari, a Fulani Muslim, is term-limited and can't seek another term. His vice president is Yemi Osinbajo, a Christian.
Tinubu, a Muslim and the former governor of Lagos state, has garnered controversy for having fellow Muslim Kashim Shettima, the former governor of Borno state, as his running mate for the next presidential election scheduled for February 2023.
So, what's the big deal here?
Essentially, Nigeria has a long-standing tradition of Christians and Muslims running together on presidential tickets in order to protect the religious liberty of both religions.
An all-Muslim ticket would cause dangerous divisions in the country and perhaps lead the way for wide-scale persecution of Christians by Muslims due to the perception of having a Muslim-friendly government.
Demonstrators marched on the Presidential Villa and submitted a letter of protest to Nigeria's federal government, according to the Abuja-based Daily Post Nigeria.
The protest was led by the All Christians Community of Northern Nigeria, whose leader, Moses Adams, told the Daily Post that the lack of a Christian vice presidential candidate on the ticket was "unacceptable and a recipe for creating sharp divides between the Muslims and the Christians in the country."
This is a move from the Islamic north that is being taken as an act of aggression by the Christian south in Nigeria.
In recent years, northern Nigeria has been a hotbed of violence. The rise of Islamic extremist groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province has killed thousands and displaced millions.
Predominantly Christian farming communities in Nigeria's Middle Belt states have been attacked and pushed out of their lands by predominantly Muslim radicalized herders. Thousands have reportedly been killed in the violence that has escalated since 2016.
Christian nongovernmental organizations and some human rights activists contend that religion plays a role in the violence occurring in the Middle Belt and could be reaching the level of genocide.
With these encroachments on Christian territory by Muslims, you can see why this election move would create concerns for Christians in Nigeria.
Our Christian brothers in Africa are facing more and more persecution.
Pray for stability in Nigeria!
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
