Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto State, has advised the people of Anambra to come out and exercise their franchise during Saturday’s Governorship election.
Kukah gave the advice in an interview with newsmen during the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stakeholders’ meeting on the state election in Awka.
He advised voters in the state not to be afraid to exercise their political right, saying whether you vote or not you have made a decision that you will live with the consequences.
“If you decide not to vote, it then means that the candidate you don’t want to win may probably be the one to win the election.
“And you have to live with the consequences, to a very little extent, except you say that our lives are in the hands of God.
“I do not think that any citizen of Nigeria should feel so afraid of their lives that they will be afraid to live up to their political responsibility.
“Whatever reservations anybody may have, this is a family affairs.
“It is not that we are in the military which somebody has been imposed on the people of Anambra, you are choosing from among themselves,” Kukah said.
The religious leader said he was in the state in company of the chairman of INEC to encourage the people of Anambra people to allow free, fair and credible elections.
Kukah advised the people to realize how privileged they were in politics and economic development of Nigeria.
He said that the state had produced great Nigerians, including former President Nnamdi Azikiwe; former Vice President, Alex Ekweme; former Senate President, Chuba Okadigbo; former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Kenneth Dike, and “Cardinal Arinze who would have been a Pope.”
“Anambra has no business being hesitant on issues of our democracy. This country is ours to fix and Anambra has the manpower.
“Each of the people contesting this election is literally qualified to contest for the presidency of Nigeria,” Kukah said.
