Archbishop urges politicians to avoid early campaign

By Femi Oyelola in Kaduna

With the upcoming elections on the horizon, the Archbishop of the Kaduna Diocese, Most Rev’d Timothy Yahaya, has urged politicians to refrain from early politicking, which he believes leads to a misalignment of priorities.

He made these comments during an interview with journalists at the Second Session of the Twenty-Third SYNOD held at the Cathedral of St. Michael in Kaduna.

The Archbishop expressed concern over the trend of launching political party campaigns before the completion of the current government’s term, labeling it a negative practice that portrays Nigeria as a nation of jesters.

He called for a ban on political campaigning until nine months before the next election, suggesting that this would allow leaders sufficient time to focus on executing their agendas effectively for the benefit of the people.

“I want to say this very loud and clear: before this regime even reaches two years in office, we are already witnessing politicking. I believe this is a detrimental culture for our governors, and I plead with the authorities to minimize politics in our country.

“How can we complete one election cycle, and before it is fully over, we already start campaigning for the next? What happens to governance? I urge our politicians, the President, and INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) to consider banning all political activities.

“It should only be nine months before the elections that this ban is lifted, so that those elected to govern our country can truly focus on delivering their best. Honestly, it is not good for our nation that, instead of seeing governance, we are inundated with campaign billboards everywhere. This situation is unfortunate.

“We need to think wisely, act patriotically, and prioritize Nigeria. In the 1960s, Nigeria and countries like Singapore were on the same level. Nigeria borrowed money from the IMF, yet look at the vast differences in our current statuses.”