• Body calls for peaceful elections

From Fred Ezeh, Abuja

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rise to the occasion and deliver credible elections to Nigerians in the coming general elections scheduled for February 25 and March 11, 2023.

CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, said in a statement, on Friday, that it will be a total disservice to Nigerians if INEC chooses to perform woefully in the coming elections exercise after four years of preparation with financial and logistics support from President Muhammadu Buhari and other stakeholders.

He suggested that INEC must ensure that the coming election is seamless, credible, and violence-free. “The commission has no excuse to fail. Four years is enough time for it to have perfected the process and eliminated the glitches that featured in past polls,” he added

Archbishop Okoh, thus, called on Nigerians to resist any attempt to cause disharmony and disaffection ahead of the coming elections, but rather see the elections as a time of peaceful transition of leadership and not war. 

He called on the authorities to beef up security, especially in communities vulnerable to attacks and ensure that no citizen is disenfranchised owing to precarious security situation in parts of the country. “Consequently, there’s need for all and sundry to put away religious and ethnic bigotry and allow the will of God to prevail,” he suggested.

The CAN President also charged the security agencies to be unbiased and remain neutral while discharging their duties, especially during the coming general elections.

He, equally, urged all the political parties and candidates seeking elective positions during the forthcoming general elections to accept the results of the polls in good faith in the interest of Nigerians and the unity of the country.

“We note the current sufferings of the people which is gradually becoming unbearable due to the gross shortage of Naira notes in the system, and plead with President Muhammadu Buhari to intensity efforts to mitigate the hardship.

“The national leadership of CAN urges all the faithful in the country not to relent in praying for our dear country Nigeria because prayer is the most potent instrument of warfare at our disposal,” he said.