From Abuja, Luminous Jannamike
The electorate has been warned by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) that any candidate with a dubious character in the upcoming general elections will not serve the interests of the community.
In a statement released on Thursday during their first plenary meeting of 2023 at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria in Abuja, the bishops made the claim.
The CBCN President and Secretary, Archbishop Lucius Ugorji and Bishop Donatus Ogun, respectively, co-signed the document. It stated that politicians with bad intentions could never have good intentions for the people or the advancement of the country.
"These next elections give us yet another opportunity in our country's history to choose leaders who can govern for the common good," they declared.
"Now is the time to reject all forms of evil, no matter how great, and to wisely select skilled and deserving candidates at all levels. We must be wise with our votes since they are valuable.
"For a better Nigeria, we urge all eligible citizens to cast their votes in large numbers for God-fearing, upright, energetic, and transparent leaders."
Also, the Bishops advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its personnel to watch out for any potential manipulation of the newly adopted technology for accreditation, transmission, and collation in order to produce misleading results.
"We also urge law enforcement officials, whose main responsibility it is to maintain public safety and secure the protection of people and property during elections, to perform their duties skillfully and impartially.
"In a similar vein, we urge our young people not to let themselves to be exploited as thugs or other agents of violence before, during, or after the elections. At the same time, we urge voters to watch out for accurate results transmission, according to the statement.
The Bishop also denounced the practice of buying and selling votes, adding that it aims to thwart and restrict people's right to free choice.
In order to have free, fair, and legitimate elections, they said, "We firmly continue to denounce this behavior and urge all politicians and the electorate to shun this unlawful and sinful practice and embrace the ideals of human dignity, integrity, and decency."
Being the "final hope of the common man," the Bishops urged all judges and attorneys to regard themselves as priests in the temple of truth and justice.