ACF Warns Middle Belt Visit To Tinubu Leans Towards Christian Persuasion, May Deepen Religious Divide

The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has reacted to the visit of Middle Belt leaders led by General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, warning that the composition of the delegation leans towards a certain persuasion and could deepen religious divisions ahead of the 2027 elections.

Spokesman of the ACF, Prof. Tukur Baba, said while it is within the rights of people to associate, such a gathering, when viewed within the context of the coming elections in 2027, should have been broader in composition.

“Now, if we check the composition, it looks like these are people who are already politicians in one way or another, and represent certain interests in one way or another.”

“Now, while welcoming and admitting the rights of such people to gather and advocate, it is very interesting to know that, although the areas they spoke of, they said parts of the Northeast, the Middle Belt, or the North Central Region, whatever you want to see, it’s also a diverse community, ethnically, religiously, and so on.”

“But there is something that cannot be missed, no matter how much one wants to be optimistic about the composition of the country, of the group, that is to say, it leans towards people of its persuasion, and if I may say, Christian persuasion, which itself is not bad, you know, because it is a fundamental human right.”

“But one is worried about the implications for the Nigerian political economy as a whole. Is this a manifestation of a religious divide, and is it being promoted, advanced, and used to compound already issues.”

“Otherwise, all the issues they canvassed for economic development, educational development, security in particular, agriculture, and other infrastructure inclusion in the Federal Republic are similar.”

“The performance of the economy transcends religious and other primordial sentiments. One would hope and one would prefer a situation where such a gathering, no matter who they represent, also represents those areas of common ground, those areas that are of importance to each and every Nigerian, irrespective of tribe, religion, or other demographic or other persuasions.”

He said one of the major problems of Nigeria is elite consensus.

“And you’ll find that there are divergent interests among the elites. So I will not be worried. I will not be too worried. I will be concerned.”

He explained that it is the tendency of the current administration to meet with various groups separately.

The ACF reaction came after concerns were raised over the composition of the leaders of Nigeria’s Middle Belt region that met with President Tinubu in Abuja on Friday.

The concerns centre around observations that the composition of the delegation did not reflect representations from all the states that make up the Middle Belt and was not sensitive to the dominant faiths in the region as all the members of the delegation are Christians.

Several analysts have pointed out the exclusion of prominent Middle Belt politicians like former and serving governors, prominent members of the National Assembly and other retired top civil servants and public officials who, from indications, must have been excluded on account of faith.

The meeting, according to informed sources, focused mainly on the region’s political alliance ahead of the 2027 elections.

The delegation led by former Minister of Defence, Gen. Danjuma, comprised Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, former Chief of Army Staff General Ishaya Bamaiyi, Defence Minister General Christopher Musa, businessman Thomas Etuh and President of the Middle Belt Forum, Dr Poju Bitrus.

Members of the delegation are known to have openly shown support for the re-election of President Tinubu in 2027 which seems to reflect the idea behind the meeting with the President.

General Danjuma, in reinforcement of his position, has also charged Nigerians to re-elect President Tinubu in the forthcoming 2027 general elections, saying it is for consolidation of meaningful projects his administration has started already.

General Danjuma gave the charge at the twentieth-year anniversary and fundraising ceremony of the Adamawa State Government House Chapel held in Yola on Saturday, stressing that the first tenure of President Tinubu’s government wouldn’t be enough for him to conclude laudable programmes and projects with direct bearing on Nigerians.

Represented by former Chief of Army Staff, General Ishaya Bamaiyi, Danjuma said Tinubu has appointed many Christians in positions of government which shows his fairness and tolerance among diverse people in the country, urging Nigerians especially the Middle Belt to vote for his re-election massively come Presidential election in January 2027.

Pulled: Daily Trust