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Nigerian Christians urged to abandon Easter programs to vote
2003-085-2
4/16/2003
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[Episcopal News Service]
Nigerian Christians have been urged by their leaders to abandon Easter activities like church crusades and retreats in order to participate in the presidential and gubernatorial elections on Saturday.
The Rev. Sunday Mbang, president of the country's main ecumenical body, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), gave the directive to all churches in the country while on a pastoral visit to the city of Jos in central Nigeria.
'The leaders of the Christian Association of Nigeria are pleading for denominations and churches that have planned any event for that Saturday, to find a new date for it. All Christians in Nigeria are enjoined to go out en masse on that Saturday to vote for the candidates of their choice,' he said.
Mbang, who is also the head of Nigeria's Methodist Church and the chairperson of the World Methodist Council, accused the electoral body responsible for the conduct of the elections of being insensitive to the religious beliefs of Christians in the country.
News agencies have reported that tension is mounting ahead of the election in Nigeria after opposition politicians rejected results of last weekend's parliamentary elections, which put President Olusegun Obasanjo's People's Democratic Party in a commanding lead.
There have been riots and clashes in several parts of the country with anger directed at the Independent National Electoral Commission which is facing criticism for chaos in the organisation of the vote, Nigeria's first since military rule ended four years ago. Military leaders have governed the former British colony for most of its 43 years of nationhood.
By having elections during the Easter period, Mbang said the commission was aiming to disenfranchise Nigerian Christian voters. Muslims make up about 50 percent of Nigeria's 130 million population and Christians account for about 40 percent.
Archbishop Peter Akinola, the head of Nigeria's Anglican church, said the situation called for a sacrifice on the part of Christians and called on all Christians to 'turn out en masse to exercise their voting rights where they are registered.'
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