The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has urged the Nigerian government and the politicians to do their best to ensure credible elections in 2019, saying it is the wisest course to peace and progress in the country. Welby stated this saturday in Abuja at the closing session of a three-day conference on religious harmony in Nigeria organised by the Interfaith Initiative for Peace (IIP). The Archbishop, who was a special guest at the event, advised Christians in Nigeria to pray fervently for peaceful elections next year.
Speaking in a similar vein at the event, President Muhammadu Buhari, urged politicians who lost the recent primary elections to pursue lawful means of redress. Buhari asked the politicians to refrain from actions that could create tension in the polity.
Other religious leaders at the occasion, including the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, and Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Eminence, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, asked the security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure fairness and neutrality in their conduct before, during and after the 2019 poll.
Welby noted that though peace was a universal concept, it was conditional and required respect and justice to be effective. He said he had been to almost all corners of Nigeria and advised all Nigerians to get involved in the electoral process either as contestants or voters. Read more