God gives, takes away power -Sultan of Sokoto

The Sultan of Sokoto and President General of Nigeria’s Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has said the outcome of the 2023 presidential election is in God’s hands.

Prominent religious leaders on Wednesday advised Nigerians to prepare their permanent voter cards to vote conscientiously in the February 25 presidential election.

The Sultan, represented by the Director of Administration, NSCIA, Zubairu Usman, urged the people not to be guided by primal feelings but according to their consciences as they prepare to participate in the upcoming elections.

He said, ‘We are Nigerians first before anything else. So Nigerians should go get their PVCs, behave peacefully, go to the polling stations on election days and vote with wisdom and conscience.

“They should not be guided by another primal feeling, but according to their conscience.”

According to him, the outcome of the election was in God’s hand and he emphasized that it was the creator who would decide the fate of all candidates.

Abubakar said, “God gives power to whom He wills and takes power away from whomever He wills. He gives honor and glory to whom He wills and humiliates whom He wills.”

Okoh, represented by Rev. Benebo Fubara-Manuel, also said that despite CAN’s zero-tolerance stance on the presidential ticket issue of the same faith, Nigerians should listen to God and vote according to their conscience.

However, he clarified that CAN took its stance against same-sex marriage long before the political parties fielded their candidates because an Islamic-Christian ticket or vice versa would de-escalate the rising interfaith tensions in the country.

Okoh said: “Individuals will vote according to their conscience. Vote for the person God has placed in your heart as the leader of the country, even if CAN say no to the same belief card.

“CAN has not said no to our conscience. It only says to us; listen to your God. Look at the country and its economy and find the best leader.

“Why did CAN say no to a ticket for the same religion? It is to ease the tension to ensure that political parties play out in a way that we as a nation are able to manage our diverse religious and ethnic consciousness.

Earlier, IDPF co-chairs Bishop Sunday Onuoha and Alhaji Kunle Sanni urged political actors to break down any plot to manipulate the election process and derail the credibility of the election.

While Sanni urged the youth not to be used as pawns to create electoral violence, Onuoha said the country was already facing many problems that threaten a peaceful coexistence.

“We call on all those who, through their actions and/or inaction, are causing problems during elections to please stop, so as not to exacerbate an already combustible situation.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has already stated that people are free to vote for candidates of their choice. Let’s respect that,” they said.

Also, Agustin Nunez-Vicandi of the KAICIID Dialogue Center urged the forum to continue pushing for free and fair elections while working to build confidence in Nigeria’s political system.

He also said religious leaders should work to alleviate and heal the fragmentation in the country and build peaceful coexistence among all citizens.