10th NASS: Coalition of Pastors ask APC to pick Christian Senate President, Speaker

A delegation of Abuja-based pastors and bishops on Tuesday called on Federal lawmakers-elect and the All Progressive Congress to imbibe the spirit of balance, and equity in the leadership of the 10th National Assembly by making Christians Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives.

The pastors under the umbrella of Nigeria Coalition of Pastors for Good Leadership demanded that since the President and Vice-President are of the same religion, the speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate President must be occupied by Christians.

This was contained in a statement signed by the coalition president, Apostle Babatunde Oguntimehin.

The APC had announced the immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godwin Akpabio, as its consensus candidate for Senate presidency in the 10th Assembly.

The ruling party also adopted Senator Jibrin Barau as the next Deputy Senate President.

In the statement on Wednesday, Oguntimehin reiterated they defied the odds and stood to support the candidature of Tinubu and his Kashim Shettima as President and Vice-President, respectively in the 2023 presidential election

It was reported that on November 6, 2022, the pastors threw their weight behind the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu, who is now the President of the country. They had described him as having the right frame of mind to rule the country.

They noted that as advocates of power shift, they were left with the option of Tinubu and the Labour Party’s candidate, Peter Obi, before they settled for the former because of his antecedents.

Oguntimehin said that there is a need to balance the equation since the Vice President and President are of the same religion.

“We as a group of pastors have come to demand that since the Vice President and President are of the same religion, we hereby demand that the speaker of the House of Representatives and Senate President must be occupied by Christians. There is a need to balance the equation. We want to appeal to the lawmakers elect and the APC to take cognisance of this,” Oguntimehin said.

The coalition president, however, noted that they are not supporting any candidate for the speakership position of the National Assembly but call for equity and fairness, adding that “They (federal lawmakers and the APC) must give hope to the Nigerian Christians.”