The Ogun Muslim Council (OMC) has ruled out an endorsement of any candidate ahead of the Saturday, March 18 Governorship and State Assembly election.
Secretary General of the Council, Alhaji Kamaldeen Akintunde, made this known in an exclusive interview with Muslim News on Thursday.
He declared that Muslims in the state would vote for any credible candidate who will be supportive and accommodating of Muslims.
Recall that Muslim communities in Lagos and Oyo had a few days ago endorsed Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, a Christian and Senator Teslim Folarin, a Muslim, respectively in the Saturday elections, in the collective interest of Islam and Muslims.
OMC, an umbrella body of Muslims in Ogun State, however, ruled out such a move, saying that the situations in the two southwestern states are different from what obtains in the Gateway State.
According to him, the major political parties in the state did not field Muslims as their gubernatorial candidates. Some of the candidates, however, nominated Muslims of both genders as their running mates.
Feelers from Ogun State show that Gov. @dabiodunMFR and three other top contenders in the Saturday's governorship election are Christians. Since ethnicity & religion have influenced the conduct of 2023 elections, what's the stake of Ogun State Muslim community in this election? pic.twitter.com/ZEnlAQcv3W
— Muslim News Nigeria (@muslimnews_NG) March 8, 2023
“Muslims will go for candidates who will be Islam-friendly, supportive and accommodative of Muslims. In other words, Ogun Muslims will vote for candidates who will listen to us, be fair, just, equitable and accountable as measurable ingredients for good governance which our dear nation is yearning for.
“Ogun Muslim Council (OMC) will mobilize its Ummah to vote for any credible candidate who will protect and accord us our rights under the country’s legal code without having to necessarily negotiate for such rights.”
The Secretary-General said it is wrong to assume that the Muslim community in Ogun is not keen on the gubernatorial election because the major parties do not have Muslim candidates.
He explained that while Muslims have been very docile about politics in the past, their political consciousness in this election heightened due to the ethno-religious dimension the presidential election took.
“We are generally not proactive as we take things for granted. Thank God, it is not business as usual this time around. Muslims’ political consciousness and interest in political governance in the ongoing dispensation has increased compared to previous years. This feat is traceable to Nigeria’s ripened democracy and the general mobilization that took a dangerous ethno-religious dimension. Much as the trend has its promotional value, ethno-religious politics has grievous implications for an advanced self-rule in a pluralistic Nigeria that is still yearning for rapid growth and development of its nooks and crannies,” he said.
He added that a Committee of Ogun Rabitah/League of Imams and Alfas organised a three-day interactive session with the candidates.
“While some personally attended, others were represented. A similar exercise by a committee of the “ummah” was also staged in the last dispensation. The lofty initiative failed to meet the desired impact considering certain indices. We will, however, get there with time.
“All the candidates gave passion and concern for the state, save that their approach and/or methodology to achieving the greatness of the Gateway might be different. Their manifestos are geared towards the growth, development and progress of the state. Their manifestos cover health, education, economy, food and agriculture, road network and urbanization, rural development, etc.”
Olatunde urged Muslims to be more passionate about their country, state, and community, noting they should vote for candidates that will not undermine the practice of their faith.
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