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The Kogi State Muslims Rights Concern, MURIC, has been warned to avoid being used as thugs by fraudulent politicians in the 2023 general election.
The State secretary, Salihu Abdulmalik, on Sunday, gave the warning during a press briefing in Lokoja.
He called on Muslims in the state to come out en masse and vote for candidates of their choice, adding that this is the only way they could elect people of proven integrity to represent them at various levels of government.
He said: “We must, therefore, distance ourselves from being employed as thugs and agents of election violence to align with what pleases our creator. It is more honourable to go out to our polling units on Election Day, cast our votes peacefully and allow democracy to take centre stage.
“Again, as Muslims, we are very much aware that Allah enthrones leaders, hence the need to avoid it-must-be-me or it-must-be-my-candidate syndrome. We must be patient and allow Allah’s will prevail in all that we do, including the electoral process.”
Abdulmalik used the medium to call on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ensure a transparent and smooth process whose outcome will be acceptable to all stakeholders.
He further enjoined security agencies to be on top of their game and watch out for mischief makers, vote buyers and perpetrators of allied electoral offences to ensure a hitch-free process.
Commenting on the lingering scarcity of naira in Nigeria, Abdulmalik called on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Central Bank governor, Godwin Emefiele to ensure the circulation of more of the newly redesigned naira notes to ease the current hardship being experienced by Nigerians.
“Nigerians are currently going through a difficult time arising from [scarcity] of cash. Added to the issue of unavailability of cash are the scarcity and high cost of petroleum products. Efforts should be geared towards providing succour to the populace in this area as scarcity of petrol will substantially affect the conduct of the 2023 elections in the country,” he stated.