Last month, MURIC declared that it would not support any presidential candidate in 2023 that is not a Muslim from the Southwestern region of the country.
The Muslim Rights Concern says it is not surprised by the creation of a political affairs department in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
The church recently announced the creation of the Office of Directorate of Politics and Governance ahead of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.
MURIC, in a statement on Monday signed by the director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, said the church, with such a move, has simplified MURIC's southwest agenda.
It stated that the announcement by the church has helped to open the eyes of Muslims who had earlier been reluctant to align with MURIC's quest for a ‘Yoruba Muslim President’.
Last month, MURIC declared that it would not support any presidential candidate in 2023 that is not a Muslim from the Southwestern region of the country.
The group, at the time, queried why no single Yoruba Muslim has ever governed the country since independence to date, adding that all Yoruba people who have occupied the highest political position in the country are Christians.
MURIC said in its Monday statement, “We are not losing any sleep over RCCG’s establishment of its political directorate. It has only helped to wake up a sleeping giant. It has pinched Nigerian Muslims who have numerical strength but has never used it to its advantage, except in Kaduna where Governor Nasir El-Rufai, the fox of Northern politics, taught Southern Kaduna a big lesson in how humility can humble self-righteousness.”
The group urged Yoruba Muslims to be more politically conscious and active so as not to allow “those who love politics but hate Muslims govern them”.
The statement reads, “The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) recently created a Directorate For Politics and Governance ahead of the 2023 presidential election. Although the implication is not lost on MURIC, we are amused by the needless furore generated by the group’s foray into politics.
“Why should that decision surprise anyone? Is there any Christian group that is not deep in politics? Only the naïve will agree that the Christian Association of Nigeria is not into politics. So, if CAN is in politics, how can the RCCG be outside politics? They have all been there all the time. The only exception may be the highly respected clergyman, Pastor Kumuyi of Deeper Life.
“The declaration of RCCG did not surprise MURIC at all. We knew they had been working on it all along. Neither does MURIC need to engage RCCG in a race for political awareness and relevance? Political consciousness is in MURIC’s Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (DNA).
“This explains why our statements are often pregnant with political permutations. It was for this reason MURIC fought against the military junta. We rallied support for the actualisation of MKO Abiola’s June 12 mandate for the same reason. We are always on the lookout for good Muslim materials for politics: experience, followership, spread, etc.
“It explains why we stood solidly behind President Muhammadu Buhari. We refused to look for his faults because even wailing wailers refuse to see anything good in all he has done. So why should it be MURIC that will join his blind critics? This is called strategic political alignment.
“It will be recalled that MURIC made no secret of its agenda for the South West. We made a clear demand for a Yoruba Muslim presidential candidate from all parties that zone their candidates to the South West and we gave good reason for that.
“South West Muslims are sick and tired of Yoruba Christians heading this country because they always use that position to further terrorise, traumatise, oppress and pauperise Yoruba Muslims. Any Christian president or vice president can come from the East or Middle Belt. We don’t mind. Even former President Goodluck Jonathan is welcome back as far as MURIC is concerned.
“RCCG disappointed us anyway. We expected a group with such a big name to be more careful, more strategic. Why go to town with the loud music? RCCG has been too clever by half. It has even helped MURIC to cross a big hurdle. This is because some Muslims who had earlier been reluctant to buy our ‘Yoruba Muslim President’ idea grew wiser the moment RCCG made its unguarded declaration. In fact, RCCG just simplified MURIC’s South West agenda for us.
“We are not losing any sleep over RCCG’s establishment of its political directorate. It has only helped to wake up a sleeping giant. It has pinched Nigerian Muslims who have numerical strength but has never used it to its advantage, except in Kaduna where Governor Nasir El-Rufai, the fox of Northern politics, taught Southern Kaduna a big lesson in how humility can humble self-righteousness.
“RCCG needed to have borrowed a leaf from Southern Kaduna before making its boastful declaration. The group has just ignited Muslim passion for politics, particularly as regards using Muslims’ numerical strength to good advantage. Every Muslim is now aware that a vote for any candidate who is a member of the Redeemed Church is a vote for the Redeemed Church.”