Stay off partisan politics or risk your status, public respect, President Buhari warns religious leaders as campaigns begin
*Asks politicians to eschew use of religion, ethnicity during process
*Urges aggrieved individuals over primaries to accept parties’ decisions
*Tasks traditional rulers on peaceful elections
By KAZEEM OLANREWAJU
“Having witnessed the roles our religious leaders have played so far, I urge them to eschew partisan politics and appeal to their respective members to read each political party’s manifestos, discuss and pray for God’s guidance before casting their votes…On their part, traditional rulers are also requested to enlighten their subjects, encourage them to ask questions and seek clarifications before going out to vote.”
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari in his effort to ensure peaceful atmosphere before, during and after the 2019 elections, has cautioned religious leaders in the country against partisan politics.
He said clerics should not be seen involving in partisanship or political controversies as, according to him, they may be risking losing their status and public respect.
President Buhari, who spoke in Abuja on Saturday at the interfaith conference on religious harmony in Nigeria themed, “Towards the 2019 general elections,” organised by Interfaith Initiative for Peace (IIP), also called on politicians to refrain from negative use of religion and ethnicity during the process.
The President was speaking just as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fixed November 18, 2018 for official commencement of political campaigns towards 2019 general elections.
The Nigerian Leader said: “Very soon, political campaigns will commence leading to elections in February next year. It is my hope and prayer that we will perform better at polling stations and see to a peaceful completion of the entire process without resorting to negative use of religion and ethnicity.”
President Buhari, noting that primary elections were over, urged all that feel aggrieved to put the nation’s stability first before their political ambitions, and accept their parties’ decision, or seek resolution through party reconciliation mechanisms or the law courts.
He said: “Having witnessed the roles our religious leaders have played so far, I urge them to eschew partisan politics and appeal to their respective members to read each political party’s manifestos, discuss and pray for God’s guidance before casting their votes.
“Religious leaders should not be seen to involve themselves in partisan politics or political controversies. Otherwise, they risk losing their status and public respect.
“On their part, traditional rulers are also requested to enlighten their subjects, encourage them to ask questions and seek clarifications before going out to vote.
“As your President, I will request that you encourage your subjects to come out and exercise their voting rights as responsible citizens. To all of us politicians, I ask that we discharge our political responsibilities with integrity, bearing in mind that we will one day give account to God, The Almighty.”
