Religious leaders from the Middle Belt states, including imams and bishops, have joined hands to put aside religious and ethnic differences to support a credible candidate for the upcoming 2023 presidential election.
The endorsement is employed towards an Abuja-based businessman, Moses Ayom, noting that Nigeria will do better if it turns its attention to merit, hardworking, and competence in choosing its leaders.
Idris Musa, who represented the imams at the meeting in Abuja, said the Middle Belt had not produced a president since Nigeria embraced democracy in spite of being “the melting pot of the entire country with over 200 ethnic nationalities and diverse religious orientations living peacefully”.
“There is a North and South because there is a Middle between them. It is now time for that middle to also feel a sense of belonging to the larger body,” Mr Musa said.
The Muslim leaders also dismissed the impression that Muslims only support their fellow Muslims. Concurring with their Christian counterparts, the imams said: “We align ourselves with their sentiments and pray that you succumb to our call for you to lend your youth, your energy, your experience, and your compassion to help heal the current challenges facing our country.”
Mr Ayom responded to the plea by stating: “This call requires deep reflection, spiritual consultations in prayer, political interface with leaders and groups nationwide, guidance by my party, All Progressives Congress, and mobilisation of the entire country because Middle Belt alone cannot produce a president without the rest of the country.”
