Politics
2023: Don’t Be Swayed By Your Stomach, Pocket In Choosing Next President – Bishop Kaigama, CAN
Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Ignatius Kaigama, has asked Nigerians not to be guided by their stomachs and pockets, but their hearts and heads when voting in the 2023 elections.
He stated this in his New Year message, cautioning Nigerians to be wary of predatory politicians who would use religion, ethnicity and regions to divide citizens.
The cleric who quoted from Philippians Chapter 4 verse 8, urged Nigerians to be guided by the biblical counsel of Apostle Paul in their choice of political parties and candidates.
He advised that money and stomach infrastructure should not be the motivating factors in voting.
“We have a duty to come out, each one of us, with a Permanent Voters Card (PVC), queue up at our polling units, conduct ourselves peacefully and orderly, get accredited and cast our votes during the 2023 general elections.
“As for the choice of political parties and candidates to vote for, we should be guided by the counsel of St. Paul, which says: “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philippians 4:8)…In choosing who to vote, let your head and your heart guide you, not your stomach and your pocket…
“Politicians who are on the campaign trails now should do so without hatred, bitterness, incitement or misinformation. They should exercise caution that they do not make wild and unrealistic campaign promises that deep in their hearts they know are not workable,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has described 2023 as a year of golden opportunities for Nigeria, urging the people not to miss or misuse the chance the forthcoming elections would create to choose leaders who would lead the country to greatness.
President of CAN, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, who stated this, urged those jostling for elective offices to be more responsible in playing politics with the best interest of the masses at heart.
In his New Year Message,which he titled, “2023 will be the year of a turnaround in Nigeria’s fortune’’, the CAN President assured that CAN would remain non-partisan and would not interfere in the duties of government agencies, but would promote and support good governance at all levels.
He said: “…2023 is a year of golden opportunities for us as a people. I pray that Nigerians will not miss or misuse the opportunity to choose leaders with focus and compassion who will lead our country to greatness. I earnestly appeal to our security agencies not to relent in their efforts to ensure safety and security in our land; and also support the conduct of peaceful general elections in 2023.
“Our politicians should realise that we don’t have any other country but Nigeria. Consequently, this reality should inspire them to be more responsible in playing politics with the best interest of the masses at heart.
“In the same vein, religious leaders should know that there is life after general elections of 2023. Therefore, our speeches and conduct should focus on encouraging our people to build a Nigeria where equity, justice and fairness will reign supreme.
“While we look forward to having a better Nigeria, let us continue praying that the Lord will strengthen our present political leaders to oversee the elections and a successful transition to a new administration in 2023. CAN will continue to partner with government, civil societies and development partners to build a peaceful and prosperous country…Finally, we urge the government to do more to stop the downward trend of our economy by checking the sources of leakages and wastage of our national resources in 2023.
“May 2023 be the year of a divine turnaround in the fortunes of our nation in Jesus’ mighty name. I wish all Nigerians a peaceful and highly prosperous new year.”
Also, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, Rev. Yakubu Pam, has admonished Nigerians to embrace the New Year with excitement, describing 2023 as a year that God would uplift Nigeria.
He stated this in a message to celebrate 2023 saying the year would be special not because it is an election year, but a year of God’s divine mercy and upliftment for Nigeria.
He urged Nigerians to be hopeful, trust in the Lord for his promises must surely come to pass.
He also tasked citizens to rise up and engage in productive activities to realise the full measure of God’s blessings for the year.
A senator who represented Taraba Central, Mr Abubakar Yusuf, has declared that the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu are not yielding the expected results.
His comment is one of the strongest internal critiques yet from within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The comment underscores the growing dissatisfaction within sections of the ruling party over the direction and impact of the administration’s economic reforms amid rising living costs and fiscal pressures across the country.
Mr Yusuf, who served in the Senate between 2015 and 2023 under the platform of the APC, made the remarks during an appearance on national television.
Responding to a question on whether the administration’s economic direction, often referred to as Tinubunomics, was working, Mr Yusuf answered in the contrary.
“For me, it is not working. I am a member of the APC. I would be the last person to hide the facts”, he said.
He said while the government might be operating diligently within its policy structure, the framework itself is ill-suited to Nigeria’s current realities
“Within the policy framework, yes, they are doing their best, but it is not the framework that is suitable for Nigeria at the point in time that President Asiwaju came into power,” he said.
Mr Yusuf criticised the immediate removal of fuel subsidy on the day the president was sworn in, arguing that the decision lacked sufficient consultation and planning.
“I am one of those who say President Asiwaju ought to have waited. Not on the day he was sworn in to say subsidy is gone. On what basis?”, he asked.
He urged broader engagement before major fiscal decisions are taken.
“Sit down with your cabinet, sit down with your ministers, sit down with your advisers,” he said, dismissing the argument that subsidy removal was justified solely on grounds of corruption.
The former lawmaker identified “structural flaws” in the country’s budgeting system, particularly the envelope budgeting model.
“One of the basic problems is that before you budget, you should have a plan. The envelope system we have been operating has been you budget before you plan. That has been a major issue”, he said.
He argued that allocating spending ceilings without aligning them to concrete development strategies inevitably weakens implementation and delivery.
“If you give me an envelope which is contrary to my plan, whether it is plus or minus, there is no way I am going to implement my plan. It is bound to fail,” he said.
Mr Yusuf called for the scrapping of the envelope budgeting system, noting that he had consistently opposed it even during his years in the National Assembly.
“It is not good for us. It is not going to work well for us,” he said.
He further blamed poor capital releases and persistent deficit financing for undermining budget performance over the years.
“We could not meet 60 percent of our capital budget in all these years. No releases. If you make a budget and the release is very poor, there is no way the budget will be executed”, he stated.
According to him, weak fund disbursement mechanisms and reliance on deficit financing have entrenched a cycle of underperformance.
“Our budget ought to have been a surplus budget, but all our budgets have always been deficit financing budgets,” Mr Yusuf added.
The Nigerian House of Representatives has resolved to reconvene for an emergency session tomorrow February 17, 2026, to deliberate on issues arising from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) release of the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The decision was disclosed in a statement issued by the House Spokesman, Rep. Akin Rotimi, who described the electoral body’s announcement as one of “constitutional and national significance.”
INEC had fixed February 20, 2027, for the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
According to the statement, members of the Green Chamber were notified of the emergency sitting through an internal memorandum from the Speaker’s office.
The session is expected to focus on legislative matters connected to the newly released timetable, reflecting the House’s resolve to act promptly on issues affecting the nation’s democratic process.
Rep. Rotimi noted that all related businesses would be treated with urgency and urged lawmakers to prioritise attendance in view of the importance of the deliberations.
INEC had on Friday formally unveiled the comprehensive schedule for the 2027 polls, including timelines for party primaries slated for July to September 2026, as well as the commencement of Continuous Voter Registration in April 2026.
The development comes amid ongoing consultations and proposed amendments to the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections.
As the controversy over the transmission of election results continues across the country, the Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), a pro democracy organisation in the country, has criticised the National Assembly for not giving express approval to real time transmission of elections results.
To this end, the group is calling on all civil society organisations in the country to mobilise and push for a better Electoral Reform in the country.
This was contained in a press statement titled, “Defence For Human Rights and Democracy Demands Real Time Election Transmission of Result”, a copy of which was made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt.
The group described the refusal of compulsory real time transmission of result results by the Senate as undemocratic, adding that the situation will give room for election manipulation, rigging and voters apathy.
It said that the provision of mandatory real time transmission of election results would have significant improvement on the nation’s democracy.
According to the statement, “Since the return of democracy in 1999 to date, it is 27 years, so our Democracy has metamorphosed from being nascent and as such significant improvement should have been recorded.
“Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), is really disappointed at the National Assembly, especially the upper chamber (Senate) for not approving ‘Real Time Electronic Transmission of Election Result’.
“This undemocratic act of theirs, if not tamed, will give room for election manipulation and rigging’”.
Signed by Comrade Clifford Christopher Solomon on behalf of the organisation, the statement further said, “The Defence For Human Rights and Democracy unequivocally supports real time transmission of election result”, stressing that his group will resist any act by the National Assembly to undermine the nation’s democracy.
“DHRD,unequivocally supports ‘True Democracy’, which is Government of the people, by the people and for the people.
“Therefore, anything that will crash the hope of Nigerians to Freely, Fairly and Transparently elect candidates of their choice in any given election should and will be vehemently resisted because good governance begins with leaders elected through credible process. By so doing, leaders have entered a social contract with the citizens to equitably manage their affairs and abundant resources”, the statement added.
It urged the National Assembly to revisit the issue in order to avoid civil unrest.
According to the DHRD, “To avoid civil unrest,voters apathy, election rigging and manipulation, rather to promote citizens participation, advancing our Democracy and entrenching free, fair, credible and acceptable electoral outcome, the National Assembly should amend the electoral act in a manner that will deepen our democracy and boost citizens confidence.
“On this note, The Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), is calling on all other civil society organisations (CSOs) to mobilise, organise and push for a better electoral act amendment by the National Assembly”.
By: John Bibor