A prominent civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has warned of the grave consequences of marginalising a bulk of the Nigerian populations who profess Christianity as their religion in the scheme of leaderships of the executive, legislature and the judicial arms of the government in the unfolding democratic dispensation marking the second and final tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
HURIWA said the exclusion of Christians was well coordinated at the highest levels and started with the illegal removal through a kangaroo trial resulting in the removal of the first ever southern Nigerian and indeed the first Christian to become the Chief Justice of Nigeria in about three decades Justice Walter Onnoghen.
HURIWA said the plot to supplant only Muslims as heads of the National Assembly is a sinister mechanism of ensuring that unfriendly laws which will undermine religious pluralism are made and signed in the coming ninth National Assembly.
HURIWA said the exclusion of Christians Is a direct invitation of anarchy and doom for Nigeria.
HURIWA expressed consternation and apprehension that the exclusion of Christians from headship of any of the three constitutional arms of government at the centre offends section 42 of the constitution which outlaws discrimination and also constitute a gross infringements of the constitutionally guaranteed provisions on the Federal Character Principles enshrined in the highest laws of Nigeria.
HURIWA through the National Coordinator, Emmanuel and the National Media Affairs Director, Zainab Yusuf urged President Buhari and all political stakeholders to save Nigeria from sliding into a state of mass distrust and mutual disharmony because if one of the largest constituents of Nigeria being Christians are excluded from the headship of the three arms of government it may not portend well for national peace, unity, and inter religious harmony that are essential for sustenance of constitutional democracy.
