Don’t be guided by your stomach when voting, Kaigama advises Nigerians

Ignatius Kaigama, the Catholic archbishop of Abuja, has asked Nigerians to be guided by their hearts and heads when voting in the 2023 elections.

In his New Year message on Sunday, Kaigama advised that money and stomach infrastructure should not be the motivating factors during the polls.

Quoting from Philippians chapter 4 verse 8, the archbishop urged Nigerians to be guided by the biblical counsel of Apostle Paul in their choice of political parties and candidates.

“We have a duty to come out, each one of us, with a Permanent Voters Card (PVC), queue up at our polling units, conduct ourselves peacefully and orderly, get accredited and cast our votes during the 2023 general elections. As for the choice of political parties and candidates to vote for, we should be guided by the counsel of St. Paul, which says: “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philippians 4:8),” Kaigama said. 

“In choosing who to vote, let your head and your heart guide you, not your stomach and your pocket!”

‘POLITICIANS SHOULDN’T MAKE WILD PROMISES’

Kaigama asked Nigerians to be wary of “predatory politicians” who would use “religion, ethnicity and regions against us, pitching us against one another”.

He advised politicians to hold peaceful campaigns without hatred, misinformation and incitement while urging them to do away with unrealistic promises.

“We have already seen that without solidarity, we have no chance against poverty, diseases, natural disasters, unemployment, ignorance, terrorism, insurgency and other forms of insecurity. So, let us embrace sincere dialogue and work in solidarity with all people of goodwill for a better country,” he said.

“Dear brothers and sisters, none of us should be ignorant of the demands and challenges of our time, amidst the deaths caused by human and natural reasons, insecurity, displacements, floods, economic hardships and the attendant harsh realities in our country.

“Politicians who are on the campaign trails now should do so without hatred, bitterness, incitement or misinformation. They should exercise caution that they do not make wild and unrealistic campaign promises that deep in their hearts they know are not workable.

“Christians, Muslims, African Traditional Religionists and others are the ones to choose the next President of Nigeria. We should set our eyes and attention only on the leaders who are ready to tackle the culture of hostility, violence, banditry, kidnapping, religious persecution, poverty, and unemployment; failure to see that sensitive and core appointments be spread fairly to those very well qualified in the different geo-political zones.”

On February 25, 2023, Nigerians will go to the polls to elect a new president, senators and members of the house of representatives.

The governorship elections will take place alongside state assemblies polls on March 11, 2023.