Nigeria: Christians take governor to High Court
Nov 27 2007
Postings >> Nigeria

Christians in Nasarawa in central Nigeria have taken their governor to the high court in protest at his 'biased' nominations to the state's executive council.

The Nasarawa Youths Progressive Vanguard (NYPV) is angry that Governor Alhaji Aliyu Doma nominated 12 Muslims as commissioners and only three Christians. They claim this is against the constitution and unfair in a state where some 65 per cent of people are Christian. And they accuse the governor of trying to 'marginalise' Christians.

The group wants to force the governor to withdraw his list and draw up a new one which better reflects faith ratios in the state. The list is currently with the state House of Assembly.

The online newspaper Daily Champion reports that the state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has moved to try to dispel tensions and is urging its members to push for 'dialogue, not confrontation'.

Nevertheless CAN's state secretary Amaechi Apollos accused the governor of breaking pre-election promises which distanced him from the perceived pro-Muslim bias of the previous governor. 'Aliyu promised he was going to toe a different line in the state by taking adequate consultations from Muslims and Christians alike before taking any decision,' said Apollos. 'What we are witnessing now is betrayal.'