Presidential candidate in the 2019 election Mr Gbenga Olawepo-Hasim yesterday urged presidential candidates of the major political parties to resist the temptation to resort to ethnic manipulations.
Olawepo-Hashim who expressed concern over the churning out messages with ethnic and religious nuances by most campaigners, stressed that one’s political ambition is worth sacrificing the hard won unity of this great nation for.
He therefore urged the leaders of the various political parties to check the activities of their campaigns where their messages seem to undermine our national unity.
The APC chieftain also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and other relevant state institutions to step up their activities to curb the trend.
He noted that Nigeria deserves a future that is not defined by a fiendish manipulation of her notable fault lines but by developmental ideas, character, record and patriotic principles.
He said, “As the campaign for the 2023 elections begins to gather momentum, It has become necessary to caution our politicians, especially those in the major political parties to resist the temptation to resort to ethnic and religious tantrums and manipulations in their bids to outdo one another.”
“Ethno religious politics is a dangerous poison, once administered consciously into the system on the scale we are witnessing regardless of who wins, the country may not recover from the great divide it will cause for a long time.
“No one’s political ambition is worth sacrificing the hard won unity of this great nation for.
“The warning has become necessary in the face of current trend in the polity where the campaign outfits and leaders of major political parties in the electoral race are complicating Nigeria’s ethnic and religious relations in their bids to win votes in 2023, instead of focusing on plans to transform the economy, and programmes to achieve social and political development, national security and unity.
“It is glaring that most of the campaigners are churning out messages with ethnic and religious nuances, and it is sad that our polity has never descended this low since our independence as a nation and since our return to Democratic rule.
“In the first and second republics, the political parties were identified and known by their plans, programmes and principles, unlike the present situation where contestants are busy talking about tribe, creed and crowd they can parade on the streets.
“It is time for the leaders of the various political parties to check the activities of their campaigns where their messages seem to undermine our national unity.
“And most importantly, the INEC, the National Orientation Agency, NOA and other relevant state institutions must step up their games.
“The 2023 general election is very crucial for our country as Nigeria is today confronted by a myriad of problems in the social sector like education and health. Also, despite repeated promises by succeeding governments, corruption is still pervasive, majority of our young people are jobless and losing hope.
“As we enter the crucial bend to 2023, I wish to state clearly that Nigeria deserves a future that is not defined by a fiendish manipulation of her notable fault lines but by developmental ideas, character, record and patriotic principles,” he noted.
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