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Catholic Bishops advise Nigerians against vote-buying

By Oluwaseun Akingboye
15 September 2018   |   3:24 am
Catholic Bishops in Nigeria have urged all registered voters to obtain their Permanent Voter Card (PVC) from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and reject the illegal practices, including selling and buying of votes. The clerics made the plea in a communiqué issued at the end of the 2nd Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops’…

[FILE PHOTO] Election

Catholic Bishops in Nigeria have urged all registered voters to obtain their Permanent Voter Card (PVC) from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and reject the illegal practices, including selling and buying of votes.

The clerics made the plea in a communiqué issued at the end of the 2nd Plenary Meeting of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) held in Sokoto between September 6 and 14 and released yesterday and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

President of the CBCN, Most Rev. Augustine Akubueze, who signed the communiqué, charged Nigerians not to be swayed by the various inducements by politicians, saying it is the right of Nigerians to fully participate in the electoral process without intimidation and violence.

He stated: “We demand that the choice of the electorate, once made, be respected by all.

Although elections are not enough to enthrone good governance, they are an important stage in that project.

“Unless we get our electoral process right, elections in Nigeria will only become expensive cosmetic exercises that legitimise corruption and ineptitude.”

While condemning violence and insecurity in some parts of the country, they urged the federal government to defend the lives and property of every citizen.

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