Kukah: Politicians Are Friends After ‘National Cake,’ Don’t Die For Them
THE Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, has advised Nigerians not to die for politicians, who he said are all friends struggling to have a share of the ‘national cake.’
With about three months to the next general elections, political violence seems to be on the increase, with some recorded in parts of Zamfara and Lagos states, causing fears about the safety of voters at the polls in next year’s elections.
Last week, a convoy of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was reportedly attacked by hoodlums in Borno State, while his rally in Kaduna State on October 17 was also disrupted by thugs.
Only recently, there have been increasing attacks on the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the latest being the burning of two of its offices in Ogun and Osun states, destroying about 65,699 uncollected Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and 904 ballot boxes, amongst others.
Worried by these incidents, Kukah, during in a television interview on Tuesday, November 15, said opposition politicians are friends and should not be taken too seriously. Indeed, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu, and Atiku, were seen exchanging banters at the VIP Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Monday, November 14.
Kukah, Convener of the National Peace Committee, said supporters of political parties should learn a lesson from the public exchange of pleasantries between Tinubu and Atiku, advising their political loyalists to be wise, eschew violence and not kill themselves for people drinking from the same pool just to demonstrate support for them.
He said: “These politicians are struggling and they’ve lived their lives struggling for the national cake, which they will distribute amongst themselves. It is, therefore, in the interest of ordinary Nigerians to know that they have to vote to stay alive.
“Supporters of candidates all over the country need to be a bit more restrained and wise. We, ordinary people, must figure out how to manage our passion when it comes to politics. Don’t take seriously, the grandstanding of the politicians.
“All the things you see about them abusing themselves or quarreling, you will think they will never shake hands. They are very good friends and many of them drink from the same pool. So, don’t go and kill yourself for nothing. That is what that message is all about.”
