Nigerian Presidential aspirant and former military ruler- Buhari assures Bishops

Nigeria’s Presidential aspirant and former military ruler, Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday night, in Abuja, told Catholic bishops that he has no religious agenda and that he was not a religious fanatic. This is according to Nigerian media.

“Although I am a practicing Muslim and I have been all my life, I have never belonged to or shared the views of any extremist group. I am not even a cleric. I believe that religion is personal and private. Many of the people close to me are not of my religion,” Buhari said as he sought to allay fears that his Islamic background would be used against Christians were he to win the presidential elections. 

Buhari, 73, of All Progressives Congress (APC) party met the Bishops in what has been described as an interactive session at the Blessed Pope John Paul II Centre in Abuja.  The Catholic Bishops that met Buhari were led by Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, President of the Catholic Bishops Conference.

Buhari told the Bishops, “I would like to solemnly declare that in spite of what our detractors say, I am not a religious fanatic of any sort and I have never been. In all my life, I have never supported extremism of any kind…Indeed, it is very unfortunate and I feel extremely sad that I have to give this type of assurance,” Buhari explained.

Earlier, Bishop Kaigama said the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria stood for unity and progress in the country.

Media in Nigeria described the interaction between the Bishops and Buhari as convivial and boisterous.

Buhari was accompanied by his running mate, Pastor Yemi Osinbajo as well as other members of his party. Analysts expect Nigeria's presidential election to be a close contest. The two top contenders are incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan and former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari.

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