Northern Charged to Support Qualified Candidates

A pressure organisation operating under the auspices of the Coalition of Northern Groups has urged the region’s voters to support candidates who are qualified, trustworthy, and capable of handling the difficulties facing the North and the nation.

Jamilu Charanchi, the CNG’s national coordinator, warned the public on Monday in Gombe Stare during a conference on public sensitisation and knowledge regarding the general elections of 2023.

“Politics of Sentiments, A Critical Factor Militating Development and Democracy in Nigeria” was the focus of the awareness campaign.

According to Charanchi, northerners and Nigerians should put the needs of their communities and the country’s overall interests ahead of any other political considerations.

He contends that during the general elections in 2023, Nigerians must resist the temptation to cast ballots against their religious or tribal allegiances.

He claimed sentiment-based politics were to blame for the problems the nation was experiencing and added that such politics had not been advantageous to the nation.

The national coordinator urged voters to put more effort into selecting candidates who would address the nation’s concerns about the economy, security, and other issues for the good of all residents.

He said, “We want Nigerians to have a change of mind from voting based on religious and ethnic lines to voting in the interest of one united Nigeria where credibility, integrity and competence will take centre stage.”

He declared that politicians who utilise race and religion as political trump cards are the people’s enemies, and such candidates and their parties ought to be disqualified.

Muhammed Babaji, the CNG coordinator for Gombe State, expressed hope that if Nigerians abstained from violence and supported peaceful elections, the 2023 election would usher in a new era for the nation.

Babaji urged young people in the North and throughout Nigeria to stick to the principles of genuine democracy, which support harmony, peace, and development. He prayed that the elections would usher in a new era for Nigeria.

Additionally, ASP Mahid Abubakar, the public relations officer for the Gombe State Police, urged youths in the state to abstain from acts of violence and work with security organisations to ensure the peaceful conduct of the elections in 2023.

The security agencies, according to Abubakar, are still dedicated to maintaining order and protecting people and property, but “we need the collaboration of all stakeholders to succeed and make the state and country peaceful.”