A legal luminary, Mallam Yusuf Ola-Olu Ali, has decried the frequency of shedding of innocent blood in the country, describing it as appalling.
Ali, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), called for an end to politically motivated killings, banditry and kidnapping among others, which he posited, were responsible for mass murder being experienced.
He spoke on the sidelines of the annual Iftar (breaking of fast) he organised in honour of members of the Kwara State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at his Ilorin residence on Monday night.
Ali reminded the masterminds of killings that it has been scripturally revealed that it would be a wishful thinking for supplication to be answered in the sight of Almighty God in any nation where spilling of innocent blood has gained currency.
Forthcoming General Elections
He told the political class that politicking remains a sine qua non for good governance and not subtle or mass deaths, pleading with them not to turn the forthcoming general elections to do or die.
The legal icon said that politicians must pause, ponder and exercise caution about the way and manner they ply their trade.
“The holy Prophet was reported to have said that in any society or nation where shedding of blood of innocent people is the order of the day, it is only a wishful thinking for supplication to be accepted by Almighty Allah.
“And we have seen those signs in the challenges bedeviling us as a nation. For instance, bloodshed in terms of kidnapping and banditry among others is on the rise.
“My only appeal is that political class should not encourage shedding of blood through politicking. The frequency of shedding of blood is appalling.
“We should therefore avoid do or die politicking in the forthcoming general elections. We need to pause, look at the huge number of innocent people murdered in cold blood in this country and exercise caution.
“Politicking should be a sine qua non for good governance and not mass murder as we have been experiencing. That is my appeal to the political class,” Ali said.
He asked political appointees willing to participate in the 2023 elections to tender their letters of resignation before they can stand eligible to vie for elective offices as enshrined in the electoral act amendment.
Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act 2022, which President Muhammadu Buhari recently assented to, provides that political appointees aspiring to contest elections must resign their positions before the conduct of political party primaries.
Lateefah Ibrahim
