The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has appealed to Nigerians to put away ethnic and religious differences and allow the divine will to prevail in the 2023 general elections.
The CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, gave the verdict in a statement he signed and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Saturday.
“We should shun religious and ethnic bigotry and allow the will of God to prevail because God’s decision is the best, we should be patriotic and God fearing,” the CAN President said.
He urged Nigerians irrespective of tribal, religious, sectional or political party inclination to resist any attempt capable of causing disharmony and disaffection ahead of the elections.
“We should see the elections as a period of peaceful transition of leadership which is the bedrock of democracy not war,” he said.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must strive to see that the elections were peacefully, credibly and violence-free,” he said.
He explained that the Commission had no excuse to fail, as four years was enough time for it to have perfected the process and eliminated the glitches that featured in previous elections.
“We hereby call on all relevant authorities to beef up security, especially in communities vulnerable to attacks to ensure that no citizen is disenfranchised,” he said.
“We expect the security agencies to be neutral and unbiased while discharging their duties during the elections,” he added.
He urged all the political parties and candidates seeking elective positions to accept the results of the polls in good faith and in the interest of nation and its unity.
The group also noted the current economic hardship and the sufferings which is biting hard on the citizens due to the shortage of naira notes and pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to address the situation.
“We call on all faithful in the nationwide not to relent in praying for our dear country because prayer is the most potent instrument of warfare.
“Let us tell ourselves the truth that the current economic, and security situations do not give joy to anyone, but we should keep our hopes alive,” he said.
