From Fred Itua, Abuja
Ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, Abdulaziz Yari was on Thursday endorsed for the position of the President of the Senate.
The Christian Organisation of Nigeria (CON), which gave this endorsement at a press conference in Abuja, said Yari is the most capable.
The Christian group said it accepts the decision of the senators-elect to reject the All Progressives Congress (APC) endorsement and to vote according to their conscience.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Bishop Prophet Blessing Fashola of the Celestial Church, said: “We, the Christian Organizations of Nigeria (CON) is calling on the Senators elect to discountenance miscreants and enemies of democracy trying to use politics of divide-and-rule to discourage PDP Senators-elect from voting His Excellency Sen. Abdul’aziz Yari as the next Senate President.
“The hollowed Chambers of the Senate is where Nigeria must speak as one united and indivisible entity hence every Religious, Ethnic and Racial division must be highly discouraged.
“After a critical assessment of all the contestants irrespective of their religious divide we have chosen to endorse H.E SEN. ABDUL’AZIZ YARI because he is the most capable.
“CON is apolitical and does not share the myopic reasoning that a Christian must be endorsed because we do not see any Christian from the lot contesting that is more capable than Sen Yari.”
The Christian body pointed out that the 10th Nigerian Senate is not a place where cheap religious sentiments can fly, hence several propaganda machinery deployed to hoodwink Senators-elect into supporting a failed project is dead on arrival.
“The Christian Organisations of Nigeria (CON) calls on the Senators-elect to jettison any and all such endorsements. Nigeria is our common patrimony and we must all rise up to endorse only candidates who have not sold their souls.
“We are passing A VOTE OF CONFIDENCE ON THE FORMER GOVERNOR OF ZAMFARA STATE, HIS EXCELLENCY SENATOR ABDUL’AZIZ YARI’s ambition to become the next President of the Senate.
“It must be stated that given the peculiarities of time, the need to have leaders with experience and the capacity to hit the ground running should be emphasized in this current dispensation. This much has been the trademark of Senator Yari, hence our endorsement of his aspiration, which represents the country’s best interest in this critical time of our existence.”
The Christian body said that Yari is one of the notable nationalists, who has displayed administrative competence and commitment to the country’s socioeconomic development.
The group said that he has always put the country’s interest at heart in all his endeavours, adding that such has undoubtedly earned him tremendous respect across the country and an attribute he will put to good use if elected as Senate President.
“We must admit that what the country needs at this point is leaders with capacity regardless of ethnic and religious affiliations. Nigeria needs leaders that understand the dynamic nature of the country, which can only be brought about through hands-on experience in governance.
“Senator Yari’s credentials speak volumes of a man on a mission to contribute to sustainable growth and development. He has demonstrated competence and capacity and has built bridges across the divide.
“Senator Abdulaziz Yari is one of the few Nigerian leaders preaching religious and ethnic tolerance. He is a firm believer in One Nigeria. This much has defined his approach to issues that have assisted in bringing about peace and tranquillity across the country.
“It’s our candid opinion that the leadership of the APC should allow the North West Zone to provide the post of the senate president in view of the fact that the zone gave more than 30% of the winning votes to President Bola Tinubu during the election,” CON said.
The group said that it’s convinced that among all the people rooting for the Senate presidency, only Yari possesses the proven integrity, honesty and experience necessary for such a position.