The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 northern states and the federal capital territory (FCT) has warned presidential candidates that the 2023 general election should not be a must-win situation.
Yakubu Pam, chairman of the Northern States Association, stated this on Thursday at a three-day special prayer summit in Kaduna.
Pam stated that Nigerians prefer to hear presidential candidates discuss how they intend to address economic and security challenges rather than insult each other.
Politicians should strive to address the issues of the economy and proffer solutions and shun campaign of calumny and character assassination of opponents,” he said.
More so, our presidential candidates should not see the general election as a do-or-die affair, after all, power comes from God and what will be, will be; no man runs faster than his shadow.
Religious leaders should be able to speak truth to power no matter the circumstances we find ourselves, because for everyone we mislead, we must answer for it someday.
Our people look up to us for leadership, especially at this time of our democratic experience. We must not fail them. We must provide them with the needed leadership and direction so that this house does not fall.
Speaking further, Pam said the interest of the northern Christians as far as the 2023 general election is concerned “is nothing but to promote the unity of the north in particular and Nigeria as a whole”.
He urged governments at all levels to address potential challenges before, during, and after the elections.
It is equally the responsibility of the government to ensure a level playing field for all the candidates of all the political parties and voters so that at the end of the day, we will have credible elections that Nigerians would accept, he added.