..as candidates distance selves from Tinubu
League of Imams and Alfas in Akure, Ondo State, has urged Nigerians to vote for personality and not political parties at the forthcoming general elections.
The league stated this at the public Dawah, organised by the group, tagged: “Our Roles during the Electioneering Period.”
Dr Muhammad Awwal Abdulwasi, who was guest lecturer at the programme, said that the only way the country could move forward was to participate in the Feb. 25 presidential election and elect good leader.
Abdulwasi, of the Department of Engineering, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, said that it was the right of every citizen to take active part in the politics of the country.
According to him, it is written in the holy Quran that Muslims have a responsibility to involve in the politics of his community or society.
The guest lecturer frowned at the refusal of Muslim faithful to get involved in politics.
“Islam is politics and politics is Islam. So, we must participate in electoral process because any action taken by politicians will affect us one way or the other.
“Everybody, whether Muslim or Christian, has a role to play in the forthcoming general elections, if we want to make things work as we expected in the country.
“If you say you won’t participate, at the end of the day, a bad leader can emerge and you will not have any right to complain.
“So as the presidential election is around the corner, we should vote for personality based on his antecedent and track record rather than political party,” he said.
One of the keynote speakers, Dr Abass Mimiko, said it was the responsibility of Muslims to participate in electoral process.
“Don’t listen to anyone who said politics is dirty and that Muslim should away from it. You all need to know that participating in politics is what can actually bring goodness.
“We must encourage Muslims to participate in politics to elect good leaders for the state and the country at large,” he said.
Also speaking, Chairman, Caretaker Committee of PDP in Ekiti, Mr Sadiq Obanoye, said that people should embrace peace and shun violence during and after the election.
Obanoye, who said that Islam was about enthroning a leadership that was expected to play good role, said that people had the responsibility to belong to political parties of their choices.
Chief Imam of Akure, Alhaji AbdulHakeem Yayi-Akorede, said that people, especially Muslim faithful, should see their PVC as power to elect the leadership of the country.
Chairman Special Duties Committee of the league, Abdulnafiu Ismail, who said that the organisation had also organised special prayers for Nigeria, said that the lecture was aimed at educating people on the importance of choosing the right leader for the country.
Meanwhile, Two Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidates in Ondo State, Chief Ifedayo Adedipe and Princess Kemisola Adesanya, have denied any pact with All Progressives Congress (APC) or its presidential candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu, ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that posters of the PDP candidates, alongside that of Tinubu, had flooded the social media and some places in Akure, the state capital.
Adedipe and Adesanya, candidates for Ondo Central Senatorial District and Akure North/South Federal Constituency respectively, distanced themselves from the APC presidential candidate during a joint news conference in Akure on Sunday.
They said that apart from aiming to win their respective elections, they were focused on working for the victory of the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
They said that the circulation of the posters was the handiwork of a group to which they had no affinity or connection.
“We are candidates of Peoples Democratic Party and have no connection whatsoever with the group that did the posters.
“Both of us are focused and have clear directions on our ambitions, political ideologies, the ideology of our party, PDP.
“We welcome support from members of other political parties who believe in our personalities and abilities to represent them well at the National Assembly.
“However, our belief and support for our great party and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is total, unalloyed and unflinching.
“We hereby wish to further reiterate our commitment to our party and our ambition for quality representation to the good people of our constituencies, to influence policies that will improve the lives of our constituents.
“We believe there are so many ways to better the lives of our people than the present situation in the country,” they said.
The duo urged their supporters and the electorate generally to remain resolute and vote for a new narrative, represented by PDP, to rescue Nigeria.
“We urge the electorate to vote for all the candidates presented by PDP across board to put an end to the present APC government,” they said.
Also, the PDP Chairman in the state, Alhaji Fatai Adams, said that the party was in support of the Dr Iyorcha Ayu-led National Executive Council and the presidential candidate.
Adams described the posters as the handiwork of mischief makers trying to cause disaffection within the party in the state. (NAN)
