Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has assured the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria that he will not run his administration based on religion if elected President of Nigeria.
Tinubu who met with the CAN leadership in Abuja on Wednesday at an interactive session assured them that in the same way his administration did not discriminate against anyone either based on tribe, religion, or gender when he was Lagos Governor, he would not start such in office as president.
Tinubu said, “My belief in the need for secular government and faith-based organizations to work in unison is not something adopted recently to benefit my campaign.
“As Governor of Lagos, I partnered with the Christians to improve lives and foster education. For instance, I returned mission schools to their owners, most of who are Christians.
“I instituted yearly Christian Denomination Service at the Governor’s residence as we approached the new year. This tradition continues in Lagos.
“More importantly, we fostered an atmosphere of religious tolerance and inter-faith collaboration. My cabinet was diverse and talented.
“In the exercise of government, I did not give a thought to whether a team member was Christian or Muslim, Yoruba, Igbo or Arewa.
“I have never lent myself to baseless prejudice and discrimination. To do so would be a recipe for failure in the governance of a diverse society and I am not a man that is familiar with failing.
“I never chased people out of Lagos nor made them feel unwanted. Under my administration, Lagos welcomed all comers and continues to do so today.
“After me, Lagos has had one Muslim and two Christian governors. I may not be perfect. What human being is? But I am not a petty man secretly wedded to secret biases and prejudices.
“As such, I see all Nigerians as equals and as brothers and sisters in our national family. This means no one is inherently inferior or superior to anyone else, regardless of faith, place of origin, social status, and gender. Anyone who does not hold this fair and equitable view, should not run for president in a country such as ours.”
