It Is Time To Punish Politicians Who Use Religion As Weapon Of Campaign – El-Rufai
By Abdullahi Ahmad Bamalli
The governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, said it is time to remove the issue of religion from the country’s politics and punish politicians who use religion as a weapon of campaign.
It was reported that Governor El-Rufai made this statement on Tuesday during the opening ceremony of the head office of the ‘Peace and Development Foundation’ of His Highness the Sultan of Sokoto.
El-Rufai called on traditional rulers and religious scholars to pray for a free and fair election and peace across the country.
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He said; “I would like to use this opportunity to call on our leaders who are here, our respected traditional rulers and our scholars to continue to pray for our country for peace and to have a free and fair election, and I pray that God will choose good leaders for our country who will unite the country and move it forward.
“As a citizen, a governor and a Muslim, I am not happy with the way some politicians use religion and ethnicity as a weapon in their campaign,” said El-Rufai.
“And your Eminence I think this election causes for us a very unique opportunity to take religion out of politics in Nigeria and punish those that are trying to use religion as a weapon of campaign,” he said.
El-Rufai also appealed to the royal fathers and scholars to communicate to the people in order to ensure that future elections do not centre around religion but around what a person can do to improve a lot of ordinary people.
“Our people are united in their poverty, in their need for education, for a decent healthcare and to put food on their table, that is what unites us, that is what we should focus on”.
“But some people are campaigning in worship places, some are holding internal meetings with religious leaders to promote ethnic and religious division. Unity and peace are the main things Nigeria needs now at a time of facing challenges,” he added.
The governor also said that it is time to remove the issue of religion from the country’s politics and punish those who try to use religion as a weapon in the campaign.
