Focus on candidates’ antecedents, not religious leaning, Group urges Nigerians

A political pressure group, Nigeria’s Progress Volunteers Group (NPVG), has urged Nigerians to focus attention on the antecedents of presidential candidates, if they desire positive change in the nation’s polity and not religion leaning.

Its National Coordinator, Chief Ismaila Abimbola, made the plea in a statement on Monday in Ibadan.

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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the nation’s political space had in recent times, been awashed with heated debate about religion persuasion over the choice of running mate by the presidential candidates of various political parties.

Abimbola, speaking for the group, decried the ongoing debate about religious persuasion of the candidates jostling to be president and running mates in a country, he said, “is largely heterogeneous”.

According to him, some religious leaders are too egocentric and self-serving in their calls for religious balancing; though, very desirable, religion has never helped the nation to grow.

“Since 1999, those ruling this nation were either Christians or Muslims, yet there has been gross underdevelopment in the country with growing insecurity, poverty and mind-boggling corruption.

“These left Nigerians more exasperated and troubled with no hope of a better tomorrow.”