ACN defends stance on Otuoke church saga

THE issues involved in the bribery allegation against President Goodluck Jonathan over the construction or ‘renovation’ of a church in his village have nothing to do with religious or ethnic considerations, but are those of ethics, constitutionality and the rule of law, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) said yesterday.

In a statement in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party stressed that anyone or group that attempts to make it a religious or ethnic issue is doing a great disservice to the nation.

It also urged religious leaders in particular and other opinion leaders in general to always rise above politics and primordial considerations in commenting on such issues.

ACN said: “Sadly, since the bribery allegation came to the fore, we have seen otherwise respectable religious leaders join the fray and used uncomplimentary words just to be seen to be defending the President. We have seen how they attempted to use religion to divide Nigerians. This is unfortunate and must never repeat itself.

“Like these unwary religious leaders, we have also read comments from some ethnic jingoists making it look as if the criticisms of the President’s solicitation and acceptance of a church ‘gift’ from a foreign construction company doing business with the government he heads is targeting the South-South or the Niger Delta.

“All these developments confirm what we have always known: That this is President is the most divisive Nigerian leader ever, and he and his ‘supporters’ will not hesitate to play the religious or ethnic card even when the issues involved have nothing to do with that. Any criticism of his actions is immediately interpreted as an attack on the Ijaw, the Niger Delta, the South-South or Christians. This is not the stuff of good leadership.

“The last time we checked, President Jonathan was voted into office by people of all ethnic and religious groups. He is not the President of the Niger Delta, neither is he the President of Christians or Muslims, but the President of all Nigerians. He should always remember this”.

The party wondered where the religious leaders now rushing to Jonathan’s defence were when ACN campaigned rigorously for him to be sworn in as Acting President, when his boss was ill and he was marooned; or why they never came out to defend the late President Umaru Yar’Adua when we criticised his administration’s policies.

“We will like to put it on record that our reaction to the issue was based on published reports that the President himself admitted soliciting and accepting the church gift. We maintain that this is an impeachable offence and that the National Assembly should investigate it and take the necessary action. Whether the National Assembly does so or not will not mitigate the rightness of our stand”, ACN added.