Reverend Father Onuh Ladi, the Provincial Secretary for Health, Justice, Development and Peace (HJDP), Kaduna, has urged government to allow democracy take its course in the upcoming general elections.

He gave the advice in Kaduna while speaking to newsmen on the sideline of a grassroot stakeholders sensitisation workshop to prevent election related violence.

The programme which was organised by Lux Terra Leadership Foundation (LTLF) in collaboration with the HJDP drew participants from across religious, youths and community leaders from the 12 wards of Kaduna North LGA, comprising 48 people each from Muslim and Christian communities.

Ladi noted that the workshop was to reawaken people’s consciousness to avoid violence and vote for their choice without any form of friction on, during and after the elections.

He explained that Kaduna North LGA was chosen because of its volatility and previous history of post electoral violence, which subsequently took religious dimensions.

“Kaduna North has people of the two religions living together and having different tribes, we timed this workshop as the elections is just some days ahead so that we can talk and share ideas for peace building.”

Ladi lamented on the current situation of Naira and fuel scarcity, while calling on the people to remain resolute and continue praying to overcome the challenges.

He also frowned at politicians who make inciting utterances, while urging religious, traditional and youth leaders to continue preaching peace for development to have its way in the society.

He also urged the people to avoid being used by politicians to incite violence through religion and other means for their selfish interest.

Alhaji Majeed Dahiru, LTLF Abuja, who represented the Executive Director of LTLF, Fr. George Ehusani described Kaduna as a pluralistic state with Muslims and Christian population cutting across different ethic groups.

He stated that the sensitisation which drew stakeholders at the grassroots, was aimed at seeking their understanding and collaboration to serve as preventive agents against violence before, during and after the elections.

According to Majeed, if the communities themselves take ownership of peace processes, it will be effective and form a strong barrier against religion and ethnic manipulation against the people by those seeking to divide and rule them.

He further said that religion has been one of the major drawbacks for Nigeria’s development since transition from military to civil rule.

“Politics of identity in terms of religion and ethnicity has been our problem, it has been identified by the stakeholders in this workshop as the mitigating factor for peaceful co-existence and national development.

“Identity politics should have no place in modern politics, it undermines democracy which is government of the majority, identity politics makes it a government of ethnic and religious majority.”

“The Government of ethnic and religious majority will create ethnic and religious minority that is perpetually marginalized which create tension, undermining and derail the polity to stage failure,” Majeed stressed.

He therefore urged Nigerians to avoid ethnic and religious politics, while describing Nigeria as a young but adult democracy.

Some of the participants, Malam Ismail Usman and Mr Ishaya Shekara said the workshop was timely and thought provoking.

The duo called on parents to ensure they caution their children against engaging as agents of distraction for politicians, before during and after the elections.

They thanked the organisers of the workshop, while pledging to play their roles as community leaders to ensure guidance and control of the youths in the upcoming elections.

Hayin Banki, Kawo, Abakpa, Malali and Anguwan Kanawa are among other communities of Kaduna North LGA that participated in the programme.

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The Bishop, Diocese of Abakaliki Anglican Communion, His Lordship Monday Nkwegu has called on all Nigerians to see election as a simple way of power transition whereby election is conducted by the electoral body and people vote for a candidate of their choice, void of intimidation and crisis.

Bishop Nkwegu made this plea while interacting with Journalists on the best way to go about Saturday’s general election in Abakaliki the Ebonyi State Capital.

Nkwegu urged all the Christians across the country to conduct themselves in a good manner to ensure free, fair and credible election.

“Yes, we have prayed and still praying, but you have to complement the prayers by coming out en mass to vote for the person who will make Nigerians happy and make our economy good and stable as well”

“I am going to vote too but one thing I cannot do is to cast my vote for for someone who likes blood shedding”

“As a Matter of fact, nobody who sheds People’s blood will climb the seat, even when such person wangles his way to the seat, such person will not complete his tenure because such person will die of sword too”. Nkwegu added.

The Bishop said a lot has been done by churches in campaigning for peaceful polls.

“Churches has been in serious campaign for non violence election rather everyone should be allowed to enjoy his or her fundamental human rights which exercising your franchise is one of the rights,” he added.

The Bishop noted that all political parties are equal before the law establishing it and as such, no party should infringe on the right of the other.

He also called on the youths to shun all forms of election violence.

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Anambra State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress APC has commissioned a total of 8,326 ward agents and canvassers less than seven days to the general election.

A breakdown of this figure indicates that one youth leader, one ward coordinator and ward chairmen and 20 canvassers each came from 362 wards in the state.

Commissioning, the ward canvassers and wards leaders, the State Coordinator of APC Presidential Campaign Council PCC, Senator Margery Okadigbo urged them to work hard to ensure victory of the party, noting that they should go into the election as united one house without division.

According to her, the party belongs to the grassroots,and there is no party in Abuja.

“We employed you to go into the election with full determination and focused. Evey body in each ward is needed for this job. I want you help put Anambra APC into national political map. We want the geographical spread, we most get at least 25 percent in Anambra. If one wins 100 percent in 10 state and loses others he has not won, but if he wins 25 percent in 24 states, he has won.

Anambra is good and we must make it better” she said.

According to her, APC is a great party and members must make it better, urging members to stop hiding as party member in the state as nobody can harm them. She said the youths are critical in any election, urging them to work for their tomorrow and not to hid themselves in the state as APC Members.

” I want to commend you on your past commitment to the mobilisation of members at the presidential rally .You are still on duty till the end of the election. This election is in your hands.

I want you to put more efforts in the politics, the benefit is high. Be patient,don’t see politics as something with immediate benefits, the benefit comes with time. What iam enjoying toddy is what Dr. Chu Okadigbo planted many years ago .

We should make APC bigger and better in Anambra state” she stated.

She also called on the ward’s chairmen to treat all the women in their wards fairly, noting that they must not be sidelined.

The state Chairman of APC chief Basil Ejidike said they have a new brand party in the state where everybody is a part.

“You see how others’ structures are collapsing into APC in the country, we compliant of marginalisation,while we marginalise ourselves. The Igbo are working into opposition and opposition in oppositions.

You have demonstrated that you have strength, but this is the time of deploying the strength to actions. We want each person to get at least five persons to vote APC. We want you to prove the strength in the elections so that we will have something to stand when things are okayed” he said

He said that everybody will be rewarded according to his/ her deliverance,stating that the problem they had over the years was lack of reward system.

The state campaign rally coordinator, Azuka Okwuosa urged the ward leadership to replicate campaign rally experience in the election.

“We have our brother who is contesting for president, we most not put our egg in one basket. The Igbo most be strategic and not emotional. We always use our mind instead of our heads,we are always emotional about politics” he said .

He recalled how the party lost principal political positions in the 2015 general elections but noted that the party would definitely be in the main stream of the community APC government in the country.

“Our people don’t know that it is not good to put their eggs in one basket. We had a slot for Senate President and we lost it and also lost a lot of principal political positions. But the South West divided themselves with 45 percent in PDP and 55 percent in the APC and at the end of that election they did not lose out ”

“In our own case we lost everything and this will not happen again because we have that impetus to win and this election is the greatest opportunity for us to be part of the new government of the APC ” he said.

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The Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA), has called for total rejection of Interim Government in the country saying such is diversionary and intended to truncate the democratic rights of Nigerians, and will result in democratic reversals with dire consequences.

This was said as part of recommendation in the communique issued by the body at the end of their roundtable held in Abuja on attaining electoral integrity in the Country’s 2023 General Election, signed by the President ,Professor Hassan Saliu.

The body said, “The idea of an Interim Government and various permutations, such as the Doctrine of Necessity, that echo it, are diversionary and are intended to truncate the democratic rights of Nigerians.”

According to the body, such action will result in democratic reversals with dire consequences for the country and should, therefore, be rejected and shut down.

This was noted in the wake of the claim made by Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai which has aroused apprehension from various quarters on the possibility of the highly anticipated elections might not hold which may lead to appointment of an Interim Government.

It would be recalled that the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, on Thursday described the current scarcity of naira notes and the federal government policy as part of an alleged plot to disrupt the forthcoming general election to ensure an interim government takes over.

However speaking recently, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the claim was the handiwork of fifth columnist, planning to destabilise the country.

Similarly, the presidency, in a statement issued by Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu on Friday, said those spreading the rumour of interim government are only causing panic.

“Let us clearly, specifically and emphatically state that there is absolutely no truth to the claim that President Muhammadu Buhari is working towards an interim government or even worse, the truncation of democracy – democracy that he has helped to keep alive not only here at home, in West Africa but throughout the continent,” Shehu explained.

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Ahead of Saturday, February 25th 2023 General Elections, members of Fulani community in Kwara state, North Central Nigeria have declared their support for all the candidates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) seeking for elective positions.

The declaration which was made at the residence of former Senate President, Bukola Saraki was led by a prominent leader of the community, Alhaji Usman Sule Jowuro-Lamba.

He led representatives of over 200 Fulanis across the existing 16 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state to the venue of the event.

Jowuro-Lamba said the political forays of the Kwaran based Fulanis started some 50 years ago when their progenitors started romancing with the late political titan of the state’s politics, Olusola Saraki.

He added, “we want to continue in this way by declaring our supports in Kwara state for all the PDP candidates seeking for elective posts in this year’s elections. We enjoyed all the dividends of democracy under Saraki. But today, the reversal is the case. We will vote from the hierarchy of presidency to that of the councillors for all the PDP candidates.”

The Fulani leader was ably assisted by two of his lieutenants ; Aduragba Suleiman, head of Fulani in Ajase- Ipo and Alhaji Aliyu Mohammed Oro Seriki Fulani from Bacita, Moro LGA of the state.

Receiving the Fulanis on behalf of the former Senate Leader, former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Dr Alli Ahmad thanked them for adopting all the PDP candidates for the polls just as he promised them adequate distribution of democratic dividends when voted to power.

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