Nigerians have been advised by prominent religious leaders to vote their conscience ahead of the 2023 general elections.
According to The PUNCH, among some of these prominent religious leaders are the Sultan of Sokoto and the President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar; and the President, Christian Association of Nigeria, Archbishop Daniel Okoh.
The clergy spoke during the Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace’s 5th Annual Peace Conference and General Assembly in Abuja on the theme “Religion and ethnicity: Safeguarding the 2023 general elections.”
Abubakar, who was represented by the NSCIA’s Director of Administration, Zubairu Usman, advised the people not to be seduced by primal emotions, but by their conscience.
He said, “We are first Nigerians before anything else. So, Nigerians should go and get their PVCs, conduct themselves peacefully, go to the polling units on election days and vote with wisdom and according to their conscience.”
Okoh, who was represented by Most Rev. Benebo Fubara-Manuel, also stated that despite CAN’s zero-tolerance attitude on the subject of the same-faith presidential ticket, Nigerians should listen to God and vote in accordance with their conscience.
He said, “Individuals will vote according to their consciences. Vote the person that God has placed in your heart as the leader of the country even when CAN says no to the same-faith ticket.
“CAN hasn’t said no to our consciences. It is only saying to us; listen to your God. Look at the country and its economy, and find the best leader.
“Why did CAN say no to the same-faith ticket? It is to ease the tension to make sure that political parties play in such a way that we, as a nation, can be able to manage our diverse religious and ethnic consciousness.”
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