Let’s “stop the fear, tension that rises before elections”: Catholic Bishop Appeals ahead of Poll in Nigeria’s Edo State

Sokoto, 18 September, 2024 / 9:29 PM

As the electorate in Nigeria’s Edo State prepares to elect a new Governor, there is need for the people of God in the Nigerian State to stay clear of “fear and tension” that characterizes the period preceding elections, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah has said. 

Bishop Kukah, who was speaking on Sunday, September 15, at the Edo Governorship Election Security Townhall said that politics in the West African nation “must evolve”.

“We must stop the fear and tension that rises before elections. In Edo, every candidate is a son or daughter of this land. We are all family, so why create a division that will only hurt us?” the Local Ordinary of Nigeria’s Catholic Diocese of Sokoto posed, referring to the Gubernatorial poll slated for September 21.

He challenged politicians in the Nigerian State to adopt the spirit of sportsmanship, saying, “People lose matches, and they feel bad, but they still go to the net and shake hands. Politicians too must learn to accept defeat graciously for the good of the country. We elect you not for you to enjoy on our behalf, but to make life better for all of us.”

“Politics in Nigeria must evolve,” the vocal Nigerian Catholic Bishop, who is also known for good governance advocacy said in his September 15 speech at Edo Governorship Election Security Townhall.

The gubernatorial election in Edo State was not conducted alongside the February 2023 general elections due to its “off-cycle” status, which arose after the State's electoral calendar shifted from the national cycle “primarily due to legal battles” following previous gubernatorial elections. 

The decision that the court made in 2008 altered the electoral timetable for the Nigerian State, placing its Gubernatorial poll on a separate schedule from the national elections.

In his input during the September 15 Townhall, Bishop Kukah emphasized the need for the inhabitants of Edo State to embrace peace, reminding them that the sacrifices made by security personnel, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials, and other election stakeholders are meant to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.

The Catholic Church leader, who, along with John Cardinal Onaiyekan, serves on Nigeria's National Peace Committee (NPC), expressed the committee’s expectations for peaceful outcomes after every election. He lamented that these hopes are often undermined.

“We thought we could all go home once hands were shaken,” Bishop Kukah said, referring to the Committee’s efforts to promote peaceful elections across Africa’s most populous nation. 

“But to our surprise, everyone – from the media to political figures – asked us to stay. Our job was not done. We must continually remind ourselves of the need for peace in our political processes, not just through words, but through actions,” he said.

The Nigerian Catholic Church leader reflected on the ongoing role of the Peace Committee in Nigeria’s elections. He said, “You don’t give your daughter away in marriage only to be called every time there’s a quarrel. That's how I feel with the Peace Committee. We should have hoped by now that elections would gain enough traction to not always need our involvement."

“Edo elections will come and go. They will be peaceful. There may be debates, as there should be because debates open up the democratic space for everyone to be heard. But remember, this is your State, your home. If violence is created, you will all go back to your homes, but the scars of that violence will remain,” Bishop Kukah said September 15.