Bishop Kukah attributes electoral violence to lack of discipline of politicians

Bishop Matthew Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, at the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation’s 2022 peace conference in Abuja on Tuesday, attributed electoral violence in Nigeria to lack of discipline among politicians contesting for powers. Kukah, one of the panelists at the conference, therefore, challenged politicians to show discipline during the campaign for the 2023 general elections.

Kukah asserted that “ordinary Nigerians have no problem with religion; it is the manipulation and systemic manipulation of our different identities that is responsible for our violence.”

The Catholic Bishop urged religious leaders to endeavour to sensitise the public on the need for peace, saying that political actors must play their roles.

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, also a panelist, said that elected officials should regard themselves as being privileged or opportune to participate and contribute to nation building.

The governor stated that Nigeria needed a president who would be a leader for Nigerians across board and not a sectional leader.

The Regional Director for Africa at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Prof. Christopher Fomunyoh, cautioned that Nigeria cannot afford to erode its past election gains in 2023.

The NDI Regional Director said: “Elections have consequences; peaceful elections have a lot of benefits.”