The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has entered the debate over Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s recent allegation of christianization.
The group stated the charges were false in a statement signed by its director, Prof Ishaq Akintola, and made accessible to DAILY POST on Wednesday.
It shared what it knew about the Vice President and emphasized the importance of honesty, impartiality, and objectivity.
Remember that last week, a paper surfaced indicating that Osinbajo was pursuing a christianization agenda.
MURIC, on the other hand, stated that in these days of fake news, it has refused to believe everything it hears or reads.
The Muslim rights organization claimed it had completed its study and was astonished by some of the facts it discovered regarding the VP’s office and relations with Muslims.
“Blackmail, character assassination, fake news and disinformation are not in the character of Muslims,” MURIC said.
“During our investigation, we stumbled on an article written by a female Muslim presidential aide in the VP’s office. The article, which surfaced recently on social media, affirmed the presence of 18 Muslim officials in Osinbajo’s office.
“The onus is on those who accused the VP of christianisation to prove that some or all of those Muslim names in the VP’s office were fabricated to convince Nigerian Muslims that the VP is either a hater or an oppressor of Muslims,” the group said.
The group said it has, however confirmed by itself that some of the names listed as Muslims working in the VP’s office are not fictional, adding that the most senior staff working with Osinbajo, a senior pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, is a Muslim.
“…Mr. Abdul Rahman Ipaye, a Muslim and a former commissioner in Lagos State who was mentioned in the article as the highest staff in the VP’s office is, indeed, a bona fide staff of Osinbajo.”
“We can also confirm that the VP was accompanied by the most senior staff in his office, Mr. Abdul Rahman Ipaye, who was mentioned in the article written in defence of the VP. In fact it was Mr. Ipaye who called a week later to confirm that our petition on the 54 soldiers had been received by the VP. This can at least confirm that the VP has Muslim staff in his office.
The group stated that even while it would not support a Christian for the presidency in 2023, it would not refrain from speaking the truth, adding that it has no ties to the vice president.
“An innocent man should not be crucified simply because he is a Christian. We insist on truth, fairness and objectivity,” MURIC said.