A former governorship aspirant under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Shuaibu Idris Miqati, has cautioned the two main candidates in Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and Hon. Isa Kudan Ashiru, against using religion for campaigns.
Miqati lamented that religion had taken over the campaigns by supporters of the two main candidates, warning that “it is a dangerous trend for the peaceful coexistence of the people of Kaduna State.”
In a statement he issued yesterday, Miqati said that his attention had been drawn to an unfortunate situation in Kaduna State arising from intense campaign and politicking in the run-up to the governorship and House of Assembly elections slated for March 9, 2019, where some people had taken the campaign to religious places instead of telling the people what they will do to address insecurity, education problem and how they will improve the human capital development of Kaduna.
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“As one of the politicians in the state, I feel worried, disturbed and concerned with the situation,” Miqati said, adding that, “it is rather sad that we have allowed sentiments and parochialism to be the driving forces in political discourse in the state instead of the quality of candidates, their capacity and agenda for governance.
“Historically, a certain part of the state has always aligned its political thoughts with religion. No issues were raised as this is what the communities choose. We have lived with this over the years and managed to move forward without rancour.
“In my sojourn as a politician, I have always prided myself on campaigns based strictly on issues, ideas and ideals. What are our challenges, what are my thoughts on how to address the challenges and what are the ideal situations we hope to reach? These principles were core to my campaign and no names of persons, tribes or religion featured at all,” Miqati said.
