A coalition of Christian leaders under the aegis of National Christian Elders’ Forum has warned Nigerians against voting for the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The group urged Nigerians to reject the two major parties it described as ‘Two Evils’ and look in another direction for candidates from other political parties to bring salvation to the nation.
The National Chairman of the NCEF, Solomon Asemota (SAN), issued the warning during a press conference on Sunday.
NCEF has as members a former Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd.); Prof. Joseph Otubu, Gen. Joshua Dogonyaro (retd.), Archbishop Magnus Atilade, Dr Kate Okpareke, Dr Ayo Abifarin, Gen. Zamani Lekwot (retd.), Elder Moses Ihonde, Elder Nat Okoro and Elder Matthew Owojaiye.
Others are Justice Kalajine Anigbogu (retd.), Elder Shyngle Wigwe, DIG P. L. Dabup, Sir John Bagu, Dr Saleh Hussaini, Elder Mike Orobator, Justice James Ogebe (retd.), Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Chief Debo Omotosho, Dame Priscilla Kuye, Dr S. D. Gani, Mrs Osaretin Demuren, and Prof. Yussuf Turaki.
Asemota said, “Nigerians must begin to clamour for new candidates and new political parties. It is not too late to mobilise and dismiss the current political class that devalued naira by over 1,600 per cent from 1999 to 2018 and, at the same period, increased the price of fuel by 625 per cent.
“Jointly, the PDP and the APC impoverished and pauperised Nigerians and turned the country into the poverty capital of the world. It makes sense to reject the two frontline parties, the APC and the PDP, for lack of credible performance.
“We are persuaded that the nation should feel compelled, within the next few months, to look in another direction for its salvation. If that is not done, Nigerians would have willingly jumped from the fire into the furnace. We are already sensitised as to what is ahead with the slogan – ‘two evils.’
“NCEF is convinced that if Nigerians are truly desirous of good governance, then all Nigerians have need to be diligent to look outside of these two major parties.”
The elders also expressed concern over the growing interference of security and intelligence arms of the executive in politics and elections.
NCEF urged Nigerians to use the weapon of “public outcry” used to remove former President Ibrahim Babangida in 1993 and the PDP in 2015 against PDP and the APC in 2019.
NCEF added, “Nigerians have need to raise political discourse to the level of an outcry such that the APC itself would realise, like Babangida and the PDP, that it has become unacceptable by an overwhelming majority of Nigerians for the lack of performance in critical areas of life and security.”
