From Fred Ezeh, Abuja

Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, Ignatius Kaigama, has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against manipulating the outcome of the presidential and National Assembly elections conducted on Saturday across Nigeria.

Kaigama in his, yesterday, homily delivered at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral, Abuja, commended the massive participation and conduct of Nigerians during the elections, with an assurance that their votes would speak.

He said: “We performed our civic responsibility on Saturday by voting for who will become our president and those to represent us at the National Assembly. 

“It is clear Nigerians truly want a change, and this is the only way we can have that change. It is not through violence or the reckless use of ill-gotten wealth, but through the correct use of the ballot paper with our votes being treated as sacred.  Even though international election observers have commended the fact that in many places, the elections were peaceful, we should maintain the political maturity to accept whatever INEC faithfully presents before us and before God as the authentic results.  We fervently pray that there will be no manipulation in the transmission of election results, to enable people accept the results without bitterness or hostilities.”

He called on the election officials, security agents, the judiciary and all those involved directly or indirectly in the elections to do nothing that would suggest they have been compromised. 

He asked them to stand for truth and justice, so that the elections would see Nigerians evermore united in true brotherhood and sisterhood, devoid of hostile religious and ethnic antagonism. 

“Some, like me, believe the first rain that fell on Saturday in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) may be God’s sign that we truly need a new Nigeria, washed from evil, corruption, immorality and division,” he said.

Kaigama prayed that the Lenten season will help Nigerians to have a true change of heart, focusing on what unites them rather than what divides them.