Presidential candidates shouldn’t view the 2023 general election as a life-or-death contest, according to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 northern states and the federal capital territory (FCT).
Yakubu Pam, chairman of the association in the northern states, claimed that Nigerians want to hear how presidential candidates intend to address the country’s economic and security challenges, not to hear them sling insults at one another. He made this claim on Thursday at a three-day special prayer summit in Kaduna.
“Politicians should strive to address the issues of the economy and proffer solutions and shun campaign of calumny and character assassination of opponents,” he said.
“More so, our presidential candidates should not see the general election as a do-or-die affair, after all, power comes from God and what will be, will be; no man runs faster than his shadow.
READ ALSO: 2023: God, People Are My Structures, Says Peter Obi
“Religious leaders should be able to speak truth to power no matter the circumstances we find ourselves, because for everyone we mislead, we must answer for it someday.
“Our people look up to us for leadership, especially at this time of our democratic experience. We must not fail them. We must provide the needed leadership and direction for them so that this house must not fall.”
In terms of the general election in 2023, Pam stated that the northern Christians’ interests “are nothing but to support the unity of the north in particular and Nigeria as a whole.”
He urged all levels of government to take the initiative to address any problems before, during, and after the elections.
In order to have credible elections that Nigerians would accept, he continued, “it is equally the obligation of the government to create a level playing field for all the candidates of all the political parties and voters.
