Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has said that there is nothing like the right candidate in an election and that no Nigerian should be undecided about the candidates to vote for in the February presidential election, considering the problems facing the country presently.
Kukah stated this while featuring on the Channels TV programme, Politics Today on Wednesday.
The cleric stressed that there should be a vigorous battle among Nigerians to overcome cynicism.
He said, “Why would anybody be undecided about hunger? Why would anybody be undecided about insecurity? Why would anybody be undecided over the fact that they don’t seem to know where the next meal is going to come from?
“Why would anybody be undecided over the fact that there are no jobs? Why would anybody be undecided about that? So, there needs to be a vigorous battle to overcome cynicism.”
Kukah advised Nigerians to lower their expectations on political choices and opined that there is no such thing as “the right candidate” in elections, as that might be a projection of one’s emotions.
According to him, the real challenge should be how prepared the people are to engage with the politicians after they have been elected into office. He said this is where civil society, trade unions, town unions, groups, media and religious bodies are needed.
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His words: “When it comes to choice, let’s be modest in our political expectations because sometimes people say ‘vote for the right candidate’, there is nothing like the right candidate in elections.
“The right candidate may be a projection of your emotions afterwards what are we faced with. If you leave in Sokoto in 2015 when Buhari was elected president, about 9 or 10 people killed themselves out of excitement.
“Somebody came from Lagos to Abuja in excitement. That young man came to my office to tell me that he was the trekker and said nobody has looked at (compensated) him. I said oga I no trek with you na, which one is my own.
“So, political outcomes even though you have the fairest and most credible elections, is always no correlation between that and performance.”
Kukah asserted that without engagements, politicians will always take the people for granted. He argued that the Nigerian situation is made worse by the fact that those in power cripple institutions.
On the provision of adequate security during the election, the cleric stated that Africa is known for violence during elections, insisting that such activities are almost inevitable.
He also said the automatic change and improved quality of life of politicians after assuming office make them fight tooth and nail to win elections just for the pecks of the office.
Kukah said if it is all about service, most politicians canvassing for votes might have been doing something else that would give them better income.
