Ahead of Saturday’s Governorship and Houses of Assembly elections across the country, the Spiritual Director, Holy Ghost Adoration Ministry, Uke, Anambra State, Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Obimma, popularly known as Fr Ebubemonso has asked youths and Nigerians at large to shun maiming and killing of innocent citizens in the name of election victory, saying it does not worth it.
Fr Obimma, who spoke during the first Sunday of the Month anointing service at Blessed Iwene Tansi Catholic Church Umudioka, Dunukofia local government area, frowned at the reported killing of 35 persons by the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO) in the last Presidential election across the federation and appealed to Nigerians to vote and not fight during the election on the candidate of their choice.
He warned voters not to engage in any form of electoral offenses but to ensure the processes of electing new leaders are hitch free, even as he begged Nigerians to stop showing apathy but join hands in making the election a success.
He also encouraged electorates to come out en masse to vote a candidate of their choice on Saturday, lamenting that the number of deaths in 2019 General elections which is 35 was more than the 12 deaths recorded during the 2015 elections in the country.
Rev Fr Obimma said: ‘’2019 general elections particularly this Governorship and House of Assembly elections is a brotherly contest and not a war. We should use our votes and not guns because this isn’t war. Don’t be an object of violence but embrace orderliness and peace.
‘’ I encourage the Aspirants to be mindful of their language used during campaigns and embrace issue-based campaigns as well as refrain from campaigns that will involve religious incitement ethnic or tribal profiling.
Fr Obimma appealed to traditional rulers, market leaders and political party leaders to ensure they don’t continue to send youths to kill, maim and burn electoral materials just with their selfish intention of winning at all costs. He enjoined them to oppose all acts of electoral violence, whether perpetrated by supporters and/or opponents.
The Catholic Clergy pleaded with Anambra state electorates to turn up on time on Saturday to exercise their franchise. He condemned the killing in Kaduna and urged the Government to intervene and stop the careless waste of human lives across Nigeria.