Obasanjo tells religious leaders to be watchful, 2023 vote is make or break
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Bad politicians are determined to remain lawless and will wreck Nigeria unless religious leaders stand up and stop them in their tracks, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned.
He stressed that if politicians without the fear of God are allowed to have their way, the country would regret it, and urged religious leaders to be watchful particularly in the coming election in 2023 which he said will either make or break Nigeria.
Obasanjo bared his mind when Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President Daniel Okoh visited him at his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library Penthouse residence in Abeokuta.
“In the next election, if we do not watch it, it may make or break Nigeria. And I pray that it will make Nigeria,” Obasanjo said in a statement he issued through his Media Assistant Kehinde Akinyemi.
“If you stand on the truth, you stand for justice and equity, it is then that politicians will not be able to mess us around, and I will say it with all sense of responsibility now, if we do not watch it, the politicians will wreck this country and we will all regret it.”
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Significant role of religious leaders
“And where can we look for salvation? That is where you religious leaders have a significant role to play,” Obasanjo added, per The PUNCH.
“I think its the mistake of the past, that we say politics is not for the righteous. Now, if we take the righteous away from politics, and we leave politics to the unrighteous, the unrighteous will smear the righteous with the unrighteousness that they will carry into politics and will have nowhere to go.”
Obasanjo commended Okoh and said the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, has spoken to him personality about Okoh.
“I must say, I am impressed with you and the Sultan [of Sokoto] who is already singing your praises. You both can make a turn-around. You can work together.
“Having both the Sultan of Sokoto and the President of CAN already on the same page, maybe our politicians will listen, and if our politicians don’t listen, maybe our people will listen.”
Okoh told Obasanjo the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIRC) at its recent meeting in Lagos resolved to fight for justice.
“The council has resolved not to leave the political space to the politicians, that the religious leaders must get involved, not to be partisan, but must give leadership to make sure that the values of our religion are brought to the space to help us to live in peace and work for the unity of the nation, including fighting for justice,” Okoh said.