Religious leaders in Ekiti state have pledged to use their platforms to advocate for peace, condemn violence, and call on voters to protect their future by refusing financial inducements from political parties ahead of the state’s governorship election on June 18.
They jointly appealed on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security authorities to ensure a credible, free, and fair election where the people would exercise their franchise without being harassed or intimidated and as well have their choice respected and upheld.
At an event titled “Vote Not Fight: Election No Be War Inter-Faith Forum on Non-violent Elections in the Ekiti guber poll and 2023 elections,” which was sponsored by the New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative with funding from the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the clerics made this revelation in the state capital of Ado-Ekiti.
As the leaders of the state’s Christian faithful, Revd. Peter Olowolafe, the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Ekiti, stated that they would use their pulpits to inform the populace about the need to abstain from violence before, during, and after the election. Revd. Kolade Kayo-Ajayi represented Revd. Peter Olowolafe.
The CAN leader urged members to be prepared to vote in the election to choose the next governor of the state and to resist enabling politicians to purchase their conscience. She said that the role of the church in the lead-up to the election cannot be overemphasized.
Sheikh Jamiu Kewulere, the state’s president of the Nigeria Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), for his part, cautioned young people not to allow politicians to manipulate and incite violence during the June 18 election, stating that the offspring of the gladiators are safe in distant lands.
The Islamic scholar, represented by Alhaji Isiak Mubarak, cautioned candidates and political parties not to make the state a battleground and not to recreate the political climate of 1983 in the state. He also urged them not to impose their goals on the people of the state.
In an effort to promote a peaceful election, Solomon Olaife, the state pastor of Living Faith Church, better known as Winners Chapel, declared, “We will go back to our churches to educate our people on the need to come out to vote on June 18 and not sell their votes for peanuts that can’t impact their lives.”
In her remarks, Bem Aga, the NDI program director, praised NIGAWD for convening esteemed clerics to discuss issues prior to the election. She asserted that religious authorities are crucial to guaranteeing a legitimate, non-violent, and engaged June 18 poll as well as the elections of 2023.
He stated that NDI would keep supporting and working to improve democratic institutions around the world through citizen participation, transparency, and accountability in government. He also mentioned that USAID and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) made it possible for CSOs to carry out the Vote Not Fight campaign.
The purpose of the event, according to NIGAWD Executive Director Abimbola Aladejare-Salako, who was represented by senior program manager Kackah Alex, was to encourage a nonviolent and inclusive poll on June 18.
