President Muhammadu Buhari
yesterday told religious leaders in the country to eschew partisan politics to
avoid rubbishing their status and losing public respect.
He made the call while speaking
at the Interfaith Initiative for Peace Conference in Abuja.
The President urged religious
leaders to play the roles they had played in 2015 that brought about a peaceful
election.
He asked them to “eschew partisan
politics and appeal to their respective members to read the manifesto of each
political party, 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.”
He commended the Sultan of
Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John
Cardinal Onaiyekan and the Co-Initiators of the Interfaith who he said have
continued to work for peace and peaceful coexistence as faithful Muslims and
Christians.
He also expressed appreciation to
the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Right Reverend Justin Welby for accepting to
be the keynote speaker at the Conference.
He said: “Primary elections are
over. It is my hope that all who feel aggrieved would put the stability of our
country first before their political ambitions and accept the decision of their
political parties or seek resolution through party reconciliation mechanisms or
the law courts.
“Very soon, political campaigns
will commence leading to elections in February next year. It is my hope and
prayer that we will even perform better at the polling stations and see to a
peaceful completion of the entire process without resorting to negative use of
religion and ethnicity.”
Continuing, he said, “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 an account to God, the Almighty.
“I am proud to say that our
country has moved on, the era of free money, lack of transparency and
accountability is over! We deserve continuity; we deserve a better future for
the coming generations. I sincerely hope 2019 will move us closer to these
goals and so I look forward to a peaceful, fair and credible elections come
2019.
“I implore you to continue
praying for the country’s unity, peace and progress.”
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