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Elections: Group cautions politicians against overheating polity
Ahead of Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections, the Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria, MMWG, has cautioned politicians and their supporters against overheating the polity.
Specifically, the group urged them to refrain from making inflammatory statements and hurling speculative accusations against themselves, their political parties and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
National Coordinator of MMWG, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi Ibrahim, who made this call in statement issued on Wednesday.
He said it was important for political leaders to help reduce tension in the polity by contributing to an atmosphere of moderate political conversations.
Ibrahim noted that “the postponement of election and lift of ban for campaign for three days has given opportunity to politicians especially those in the dominant parties to overheat the nation’s polity”.
“Comments, accusation and counter-accusations witnessed in the last five days are irrational and uncalled for. This is very unfortunate and must be halted so that the acrimonious environment must not pervade the nation’s political scene.
“We are worried by the desperate nature of our politicians which depicts lack of fear of God, disaffection due to political difference and glaring selfish motives for seeking political offices.
“Nobody should throw this nation into political turmoil because of his or her ambition, as the nation is greater than everybody no matter the position they hold”, he stressed.
The group leader further stated that “the matter becomes more worrisome as most religious and traditional leaders in Nigeria proved incapable of telling political gladiators to moderate their quest for power as God appoints whoever He wants”.
Ibrahim therefore called on them (religious and traditional leaders) to do the job given to them by God “so as not to be questioned by the Creator on the Day of Resurrection (Yaomal-Qiyamat)”.
He also urged the federal government to declare Friday, February 22 and Monday, 25 as public holidays to enable both government and private workers travel to cast their votes, saying “this would give them the opportunity as patriotic citizens to choose their leaders and representatives”.
According to him, this has become necessary due to the inconveniences created for voters following last Saturday’s postponement of the elections by INEC.
The national coordinator, however, called on INEC to conduct its assignment with fear of God and refrain from any action capable of being accused of any special interest in any individual candidate or their parties.
While noting that security officials have arduous task of maintaining law and order everywhere on the election day throughout the Federation, he charge them against any action capable of causing disruption of free, fair and credible elections.
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