As Nigerians go to the polls today to elect their next president, the Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum and Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has hailed President Muhammadu Buhari over his determination to bequeath a legacy of electoral integrity to the country.
The Governor spoke on Friday at the 16th Jesus Festival Dinner of the Ibadan Anglican Diocese held at the Ibadan Civic Centre, Agodi, Ibadan, adding that election results are becoming more credible with reduced volume of election petition cases in the courts.
“Above all, the President has not allowed partisan interest to becloud his sense of fairness. He congratulates, almost always, whoever becomes victorious regardless of the political parties to which the person belongs.
“On the whole, there is the pervasive feeling of improvement in the electoral process. The country can still do better than what is obtainable now. We are at a point where all of us must resolve to take more than a passing interest in what affects our general interest as citizens of the country.
“We must resist the temptation to stand aloof while others determine our collective destiny as a people. We must keep the debate on equity and justice alive for peace to reign in the land,” the Governor said.
Governor Akeredolu noted that the antecedents of prominent candidates in the forthcoming presidential election should be the evidence of their capacity to lead the country.
He charged the people of Nigeria to keep the debate on equity and justice alive for peace to reign in the land, adding that the south must produce the next President in the spirit of equity and fairness.
Governor Akeredolu, who noted that competence and integrity should be the criteria for representation, stressed that the recent debate on representation on account of faith is most unnecessary.
He said: ”As Christians, we must not only be prayerful. It is important that we adopt proactive measures in our bid to protect ourselves against any evil design. We must be vigilant and ready to challenge all actions which threaten to relegate our collective interest to the background.
“In the same vein, we must be wary of the antics of the cunning and deceitful who may wish to exploit the challenges to advance their destructive designs.
“In as much as we encourage full participation of Christians in politics, our involvement must not be used to create disaffection among the various ethnic and religious groups in the country. We must resist the attempts by some elements to use religion to perpetuate crisis.’’
Earlier in his Exhortation, the Bishop of Ibadan Diocese, Most Revd Dr. J.O Akinfenwa, congratulated Governor Akeredolu on his recent national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON, describing it as well deserved.
He noted the Governor’s numerous roles to make life better for the needy especially by promoting adequate security for their lives and property.
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