Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Matthew Kukah, has called on Nigerians to see next year's presidential election as an opportunity to vote in the right leaders, instead of an opportunity to fight each other because of party loyalty.
He said by now, Nigerians should have been wise enough to know that politicians in the country are good friends even if they appear to fight dirty in public over political interests.
Kukah made this known during an appearance in a television program, following the disregard for the recently signed Peace Accord, meant to ensure peaceful conduct by politicians and their supporters before and after next year's presidential election.
Following the lifting of the ban on political campaigns by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on September 28, there has been a rise in intemperate language, intimidation, outright violence, particularly among supporters of leading presidential aspirants, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Tinubu of All progressives Congress (APC) and Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP).
Kukah's advice came hours after the presidential candidate of APC, Bola Tinubu and his PDP counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, bantered at the private wing of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja.
He said the message from the banter is that political loyalists of both frontline presidential candidates for the 2023 election should be wise, eschew violence and not kill themselves for people drinking from the same pool.
“These politicians are struggling and they’ve lived their lives struggling for the national cake which they will distribute amongst themselves. It is, therefore, in the interest of ordinary Nigerians to know that they have to vote to stay alive,” he admonished.
“Supporters of candidates all over the country need to be a bit more restrained and wise. We ordinary people must figure out how to manage our passion when it comes to politics. Don’t take seriously the grandstanding of the politicians. All the things you see about them abusing themselves or quarrelling, you will think they will never shake hands. They are very good friends, and many of them drink from the same pool. So, don’t go and kill yourself for nothing. That is what that message is all about,” he said.