Popular Catholic group, the Knight of Saint Mulumba Nigeria (KSM) has advised against vote buying and selling.
The group told voters selling their votes will be tantamount to mortgaging their destinies and those of their children.
It also urged voters not to be used as political thugs or agents of destabilisation.
KSM, in a statement in Lagos by its Supreme Knight, Brother Diamond Ovueraye, said Nigerians should not exchange good governance for filthy lucre.
It reads: “Growth is painful. Change is painful. But nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.
“Therefore, we urge all Nigerians, to register and obtain their voters cards, think wisely before you vote, shun any form of inducement, be an active participant in the affairs of your communities, engage your representatives defend your votes and be unceasing in your prayers for Nigeria.”
Ovueraye encouraged registered voters to choose their leaders with wisdom and forethought noting
“If you register to vote, you automatically have power in your hands to vote out any corrupt, insensitive and underperforming government,” he stated.
He also urged the media, as part of its civic role to create and shape public opinion, educate and strengthen society, to act against the injustice, oppression, misdeeds and partiality in the society.
Emphasising the role of religious leaders in the 2019 elections, Ovueraye stated they are also interlocutors between the leaders and followers of other faiths.
He urged Nigerians to live with the ideals of patriotism.
He expressed reservations over unpleasant attitudes towards the general election, saying the inept leadership over the years has made people to develop apathy.
He explained: “It is worrying that on account of our rather unsavoury democratic experience people are already aloof as our democracy has become a license to indulge individual whims and proclivities.
“But aren’t we all guilty of one or more of the short-comings in our polity, like – cash for votes, shunning the democratic process/abstaining from voting, intolerance of opposing views, not registering for voters’ cards, not speaking out and condemning injustice, any form of electoral malpractice, oppression and repression in whatever guise?”
Source: The Nation
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