The Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Mathew Kukah has urged the good people of Anambra to remember ‘Cain and Abel’ in the holy bible and avoid bloodshed during Saturday’s governorship election.
Kukah disclosed this while speaking in Awka during the ceremony of the signing of the peace accord by candidates for Saturday’s Anambra governorship election.
He said, “First of all, I want to thank the Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood. His tenacity and commitment. He has made the credibility of the institution he represents quite easy for many of us. Let me use the word follow him and support him.
“I want to thank the staff of INEC for their dedication, commitment. I am mighty convinced that in a few years, we will turn the corner. let us remain in this part and to the good people of Anambra.
“I stand here as a catholic priest. This environment is predominantly catholic, Anglican and predominantly Christian. We have a duty, we have a responsibility to access the fact that blood, bloodshed has no biblical justification that is the story of Cain and Abel, and I just hope and pray that the young people of Anambra and the people of Anambra, in general, will do what needs to be done.
“The DIG has already told you the level of their preparedness. Let it be that for this election, police are not a threat to the facilitators. May God bring peace to Anambra and we plead and plead that nobody would lose his life in the course of just going out to do what is taken for granted in other parts of the world. Please, if you don’t want to vote, it is not by force, you can stay at home.”
Meanwhile, the National Peace Committee, under the Chairmanship of former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd) and Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), were present at the ceremony facilitated by the National Peace Committee.
Anambra and other southeast states have witnessed several gunmen attacks recently, casting doubts on the safety of the elections.
The proscribed Independent People of Biafra (IPOB) has also threatened the sanctity of the Anambra election if its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is not released from the detention of the Department of State Services, DSS.
Recall that IPOB had declared a seven-day sit-at-home protest in the Southeast starting from November 5, if Kanu is not released.
The sit-at-home is expected to start on the eve of the Anambra State governorship election.
However, the Federal Government has beefed up security in the state, promising a free and fair election.
