*Says tell warring politicians to put forward their children first
*As he, CAN President Okoh insist 2023 elections must be of hope not death
*Perpetrators of violence at elections are electoral bandits – SGF
By BASHIR ADEFAKA
The 2023 election in Nigeria must not be one that either “makes or mar”, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, said as co-Chairman of Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC).
He spoke to the psyche, conscience and consciousness of parents on the need to caution their children, with firm grip of their activities, against going out to fight for politicians for as long as the electioneering campaign season.
The Sultan, who decided to talk more realistically, made the parents to know that only children of the vulnerable are affected in situation of electoral violence, as children of the elite are not naturally well guarded and protected.
He repeatedly said that under no circumstances should children of the commons endanger their own lives for the sake of politicians, adding that, “If any politician ask you to go and fight, ask him to make his own children lead the fight abd then that you will follow.”
The Sultan was speaking at the NIREC Fourth Quarter 2022 Netting, held at the NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja held in Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall of NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja, on Tuesday December 6, 2023 during which he warned Nigerians against playing into the hands of enemies of the country.
At the meeting themed, “Peaceful and Credible Elections for National Renaissance”, he said, “A lot of people make comment about 2023 election as a make or mar affair. We must not play into the hands of mischief makers. Nothing bad will happen to Nigeria in this election.
“We know we have our own problem problem in Nigeria but we are far better than even Europe and Asia. We think the European countries are better than than us but they are not. We have our people made from here, who are doing well over there.
“Yes, things work better there than they are here in Nigeria but we can make our own situation work for us in Nigeria better than it is currently. Nigeria is much more better than those countries you tend to compare us with and place above us,” the Sultan said, citing what happened to United States election 2020 in driving home his point.
However, Sultan Abubakar charged security forces on the need be impartial in election matter.
“Our security agencies must be impartial. President Muhammadu Buhari, during his visit Sokoto, came to pay visit to us in the palace on Monday and talked about his commitment to nonviolent, free, fair and credible election and that he had given directives to heads of security forces and agencies to that effect.
“That is Mr. President, who is the Commander-in-Chief. Let us believe and obey the President. Yes, as leader, he will be the one that Allah will ask over what happens in the country but he cannot everywhere.
“Therefore, all heads of security forces he has delegated duty to should not go behind him and do something else. They must do their part because the 2023 elections must be a source of hope for us as citizens of Nigeria,” said.
The Sultan alluded to the fact of unity even in the face of unrealistic uniformity.
“We need to be one, united Yes, we can be united but but we cannot be uniform.
Speaking earlier, the President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Daniel Okoh, noted that, “Election is a process of choice by which leaders of society are chosen. It should not involve blood letting.”
Rev Okoh
Speaking further, the Rev. Okoh, who is co-Chairman of NIREC, highlighted lack of transparency on the part of electoral umpire and ungodly alliances of security agents with interested politicians as part of the challenges for failed and violent election.
On solution, he said the ‘winner takes all’ mentality leads to why it is difficult to avoid a ‘bad loser’ situation at election and said it must stop.
Reiterating zero tolerance for election violence, Rev Okoh said “Violent election scares many people, who are real real partakers and mean well for the country.
“We must shun all tendencies that could aggravate whatever it is we are facing currently in the country. All Nigerians must come and vote to restore the confidence of the people in government,” he said.
He advocated peaceful election in 2023 and said “at the level of Christian Association of Nigeria, we will stand to be counted in this election.”
Boss Mustapha
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, started his address by voicing out his agreement with the Sultan of Sokoto that “nothing bad will happen to Nigeria in this ejection because Nigeria is in the hand of God.”
After physically requesting to be instructed by NIREC leadership as to what his office was required to do about its documentary,, Mr. Mustapha, himself a pastor, promised to help in amplifying the NIREC meetings Ng resolves on national television, NTA.
He said, “NIREC believes that there is no need for conflict between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria. The Sultan has said it that no one needs to tolerate but understand one another”, this he said like the Sultan said, there is no uniformity anywhere but the tendency for peace and unity must be and it is possible to be across all strata if the society.
The SGF, mobilising the Nigerian people to seeing the reality about challenges of Nigeria as those that only by their collective resolve the nation can be made to work the problem solved.
“No government will be able to solve the problem of Nigeria in one term or two terms. All that are aspiring to occupy the Office of the President after President will continue to face the same problem.”
The solution to the problem is for the people to all resolve to end the problem by themselves, he said, adding that the 2020 election in United States of America is an indication that the problem is not with the process but the output.
But as complex as our problem, NIREC should be able to ask questions about the personality of those who seek to occupy the office, their qualifications for seeking to govern the country, and their antecedents.
SGF Boss Mustapha cautioned against violence at elections noting that those politicians, who perpetrate violence and still talk about bandits are themselves electoral bandits.
He said, “It is one of the duties of my office to ensure public safety”, adding that he runs after NIREC, whose core is to ensure peace and unity that there may be security and safety.
“I thank NIREC, therefore, for helping me in fulfilling my duty of ensuring public safety,” he said.
Omonokhua
In his introductory remarks, the Executive Secretary of NIREC, Fr Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua, said, “With good leadership, our stewardship in this multi- ethnic nation could make Nigerians think Nigeria. The capacity to grow a great nation lies first in the human capacity to vote wisely for a leader who can revive the needs of the citizens such as good roads, railways, refineries electricity, iron and steel industries with everything that is good.”
