The Christian Association of
Nigeria, CAN, Kaduna state chapter says it will challenge the legality of the
religious bill recently passed by the former State House of Assembly, in court.
The CAN state chairman, Reverend
John Joseph Hayab, who spoke on the religious bill to newsman in Kaduna, said,
“We are going to court over the illegal action of the former lawmakers in the
state who hurriedly signed the Religious Bill into law hurriedly before they
left.”
He added that Christians in the
state would not accept the religious bill passed by the State House of
Assembly, even if Governor Nasir El-Rufai assents on it.
According to the Christian body,
the bill, which the former lawmakers endorsed before the House of Assembly was
dissolved, is a breach of the fundamental rights of all Christians in the state
which the constitution guaranteed, and it’s being studied for immediate legal
action in the court of law.
“I, as the chairman of CAN in the
state or any official, was not invited for any preliminary hearing by the State
House of Assembly on the bill that the House hurriedly passed before it was
resolved. And even the Interfaith Council which they claimed would regulates
the activities of Churches and Mosques in the state, most of the members don’t
understand what Christianity is, let alone regulating our religion.
“They cannot regulate both
private and public evangelism of Christians. What is the essence of
Christianity if we cannot evangelise both privately and publicly? The law
cannot work. We will not accept it,” he said.
Besides, Hayab added, “I was in
America when the news of the Assembly endorsing the bill was announced. Now
that I am back, we are going to challenge the unlawful bill that the people of
Kaduna rejected.”
He argued, “Even if the Governor
assent to the bill, we will challenge its legality. We will not accept anything
that would trample on our fundamental rights to worship and evangelise. We will
go to court and challenge it.
“And for the sake of religious
harmony, the government of Kaduna should avoid anything that will bring
disharmony in the state. We have had enough controversies and issues of
insecurity. Government should not overheat the polity again.”
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