Peace centre wants religious leaders banned from endorsing candidates

The Centre for Peace, Sustainability and Social Tolerance has called on the Plateau State Peace Building Agency to sponsor a bill in the state House of Assembly that would ban religious leaders from openly endorsing political candidates.

The centre stated in a statement signed by its Deputy Executive Director, Salisu Abubakar Salisu, that this became necessary to stop religious leaders from using the pulpit in their various places of worships to instigate hatred against other political candidates.

“For too long in our country, politicians and religious leaders have weaponized religion for their own selfish gain, fomenting bigotry, fears and suspicions based on the faith, religion or spiritual practices of their political opponents,” it stated.

The statement further noted that it was unfortunate that a lot of religious leaders in Plateau state have always used religion to give politicians what they want adding that; “to most politicians, religion is a tool for gaining power by using it to inspire hatred of opponents. We therefore, call on the Peace Building Agency to do the needful and find a more permanent solution to this problem.”