From GODWIN AGIA, Jalingo
Three governorship candidates in Taraba state on Thursday berated the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, over the endorsement of Col. Kefas Agbu of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking at a press briefing held at the Correspondents’ Chapel secretariat in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha, candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC, charged Christians and Muslim not to use religion to divide the state.
Bwacha sais; “The understanding I have with my colleagues is, we are not candidates of a particular religion that is while we call you this evening to tell you that CAN has no power to endorse a candidate.
“We also understand that another set of religionists like them also have their candidate, they call that one candidate of the Muslims and CAN also came up with their own candidate, so we said since we are candidates of the people because we operate a secular constitution, the people we are aspiring to govern they are Christians, they are Muslims, they are pagans as the matter of fact they are even atheists, these are questions for us to answer at eternity.
“We are not candidates of any religion, we are candidates for Tarabans. They should choose among us the person they think can intervene in the decay that we have gone through”.
Also speaking, the candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Sen. Joel Danlamin Ikenya frowned at the action of the two faiths: Christians and Muslims, described them as government parastatals.
Sen. Ikenya said he is in the race because of his people’s clarion call to restore the lost glory of Taraba State.
“I know CAN in Taraba State is a government parastatals. Secondly, I am running this election because I am qualified, I am running this election to save Taraba State not a Christian, I am called to work for my people irrespective of their religion.
“Presently, we are more divided than before even within the Christian community, so of us are even ashamed to call ourselves Tarabans, the reasons are very clear for the past 8 years no single project has been commissioned in this state, and pensioners are dying both at the local level and the state level and there is no solution at all.
“We want a home grown politician to takeover Taraba State, who knows Taraba problem, who has solution to Taraba problem, we are not going to be remote controlled by anybody. We are only going to be remote controlled by our people, whatever they want us to do, that’s what we will do, we are here for everybody; we want to rescue the rescuers.
Similarly, the Taraba State candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Baido Tijos said, he was highly disappointed at the action of CAN who calls themselves men of God and cannot represent God.
“Three of us here, myself, Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha and Sen. Joel Danlamin Ikenya have been in Taraba politics for over 30 years, who is more qualified in this race than the three of us? Nobody, if CAN will go and collect N50,000,000.00 from Agbu Kefas, that’s the game and I am telling you this thing will not work again in this state”. Baido submitted.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) released a letter on Monday, directing Christians to vote for Col. Kefas Agbu.
