The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has said that Nigerians have to vote wisely in the forthcoming polls so they can avoid making the mistakes they made in 2015 by voting for “competence, capacity and integrity above every other consideration in the choice of leaders.”
The CNG made the appeal during an Election Sensitization Conference themed ‘Politics of Sentiments, a Critical Factor Militating Development of Democracy in Nigeria,’ held recently in Makurdi, Benue State, and said Nigerians must not fall for tricks employed by politicians using ethnic and religious sentiments.
While speaking on the sub-theme “Religion and Ethnic Tolerance, Panacea to Nigeria’s Survival as a Nation,” the National Coordinator of CNG, Comrade Jamilu Charanchi condemned the “socio-economic, political and communal crises as well as the widening ethnic and religious divide bedevilling the North over the years.”
He said: “The crux of the matter is that electorates must map out their needs and refuse to be deceived by just any politician coming with the usual campaign promises that would never ever be fulfilled.
“The northern voter must look out for credible candidates with proven pedigrees, honesty, sense of nationalism and sound understanding of the current challenges facing the region.
“We must vigilantly subject every candidate to critical scrutiny by demanding from him or her a comprehensive plan of action and extracting solid commitment to reverse the situation for the better.
“We must never again allow the 2015 mistake to repeat itself in the choice of those who lead us into the future. We should rather place competence, capacity and integrity above every other secondary consideration.
“In the 2023 general election, I call on the youths, the women and all well-meaning Nigerians to avoid politics of bitterness, religious sentiments, sectionalism and nepotism. We must ensure that the criteria for voting for any person are based on character, capacity, competence and skills.
“The CNG believes that the north and indeed the whole of Nigeria’s protracted social problems and conflicts found their origin in the misplacement of religious, ethnic and cultural values of the people.
“Unfortunately, instead of addressing the challenges as they emerge, successive leaderships found it expedient to use them for either political gains, or to serve their selfish interest of polarizing the region along ethno religious, and socio-cultural divides.
“The CNG is therefore concerned, and will not fold its arms and allow our future, and that of our children to be jeopardized by a few.”
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