Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama has implored Nigerians to vote for leaders, who have the capacity to advance the growth, progress and stability of Nigeria.

He warned against the politics of bitterness, unhealthy personality clashes, and manipulation as the country prepares for the 2023 general elections.

Speaking at the General Assembly of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja with the theme, ‘Witness in Politics: The Role of The Catholic Faithful,’ in Abuja, Kaigama said the next political dispensation should be about transparency, accountability and responsibility.

He observed that Nigerians, have lived for a long under politics understood as manipulation, exclusion, greed and graft, adding that Nigerians tend to elect the worst persons and leave out the best due to ethnic and religious alliances.

Kaigama stated that what was crucial now is the search for good leaders, who are able to promote what is right, what is honourable and fair and what advances the common good.

He said, “This should be disturbing to all well-meaning citizens. Politics in Nigeria is considered a business and is superior to probity. The inability to realise meaningful change in our socio-political and economic environment is a result of the culture of corruption and poor governance, coupled with untamed political, religious and ethnic sentiments.

“To reverse this unfortunate trend, there is the need for a complete change in the way we do politics. If the primary purpose of politicking is to win elections, then the justifiable end is to govern well. The political parties should, therefore, be forthcoming on how best they are to address the issues bedevilling our polity like insecurity, deteriorating public health and education, the current inflationary trends, resulting in high living conditions.”

The cleric observed that Catholics engage in politics cognizant of the fact that politics is important and involves the use of power for the welfare of the people.

“Our engagement in politics flows from our Catholic Social Teachings, which provide us with something valuable to contribute to society.

We, therefore, call on Catholics and indeed, all Christians to be aware of their own specific vocation within the political community and the need to defend our points of view by honest methods (cf. GS 75).

“When it comes to exercising voting power, our lay faithful have the responsibility to vote wisely and seek to be voted into public service; serving in a Christ-like manner when elected. It is not the job of the Bishops or priests to enter into partisan political debates but to encourage lay people to be part of creating just governance and policies.”

Also speaking, the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Archbishop Daniel Okoh said Nigeria is currently passing through challenging times that require all hands to be on deck in order to salvage it lest it descends into a state of anarchy.

He noted that those who engage in partisan politics must remember that they need to provide leadership in showing the right values so that we can influence good governance that would bring about a peaceful and prosperous nation.

Meanwhile, Christian Leaders from eleven Local Government Areas in Southern Kaduna at the weekend, interfaced with governorship candidates in the state seeking to contest in the 2023 election to determine their agenda for the state.

The meeting, tagged, ‘Southern Kaduna Pastor’s Congress,’ had in attendance, five governorship candidates in attendance, except the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Isa Ashiru, and the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator Caleb Zagi. Both absentees sent their apologies.

Also, the candidates that were present included those of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Uba Sani; Action Alliance (AA), Timothy Adamu; New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi; All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Andrew Duya and the candidate of Labour Party (LP), Jonathan Asake.

Addressing the gathering, the Chairman, Southern Kaduna Christian Leaders Association (SKCLA), Apostle Emmanuel Nuhu Kure, said the aim of the gathering was to give the candidates the opportunity to speak with the Christian Leaders directly about their blueprint and ask questions, pointing out that the move would forestall the possibility of a post-election crisis that may arise because of misrepresentation of facts.

He appealed to leaders of other faiths to also organise a similar engagement with the governorship candidates, saying that they too can hear them directly to sensitise their people better.