General News
A pressure group, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), has urged the electorate to shun politics of ethnoreligious and regional sentiments, and vote for credible candidates in the 2023 general elections.
Mr Jamilu Charanchi, the National Coordinator of CNG, made the call at the ”North Central 2023 Election Sensitisation and Awareness Conference”, organised by CNG on Monday in Lokoja.
Charanchi advised the electorate, especially the youth, to avoid politics of ethnic and-religious sentiments, describing it ”as a critical factor militating against development and democracy in Nigeria”.
He emphasised the need for the electorate to scrutinise the political antecedents and pedigree of each candidate in the presidential election, and elect the right person, irrespective of ethnic, religious and regional affiliation.
”We must come up with prescriptions to the growing ills of ethnic and religious intolerance in our region and the nation at large.
”The future of our nation depends on a new climate of tolerance and understanding of our various ethnic and religious differences. We must cultivate, preach and promote it.
”We must practise it. It must take our collective commitment as a people and as a region in the service of Nigeria,” he said.
He enjoined the electorate to map out their needs and refuse to be deceived by just any politician coming with the usual campaign promises that would never ever be fulfilled.
He stressed that voters should look out for credible candidates with proven pedigrees, honesty, sense of nationalism and sound understanding of the current challenges facing the country.
”We must never again allow religious, regional or ethnic sentiments to becloud our senses of reasoning in the choice of those who lead us into the future.
”We should rather place competence, capacity and integrity above every other secondary consideration,” Charanchi said.
Earlier, the North Central Coordinator of CNG, Mr Mohammed Eneji, said the conference was to sensitise northern youths to the need to ensure peaceful elections come 2023.
He said CNG was formed by coalition of 52 various northern youth and women interest groups advocating for good governance and a just society.
The State Coordinator of CNG, thanked the CNG national coordinator for choosing Kogi for the conference, while expressing his satisfaction with the participants’ turnout.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a Guest Speaker, Dr Isaac Achimugu, spoke on the event’s theme: ”Politics of Sentiment, A Critical Factor Militating Development and Democracy in Nigeria.”
Achimugu urged the people to consciously develop a model of the mind that set things right devoid of ethno-religious and regional sentiments, but based on competence, integrity, skills, credibility and patriotism.
A participant, Danladi Baba, State Taskforce Officer, Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria, said the programme had enlightened them on making the right choice in the 2023 elections. (NAN)
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Tags: COALITION of Northern Groups (CNG) Jamilu Charanchi
