The Director-General, All Progressives Congress (APC) Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) Salihu Mohd Lukman, has reminded political leaders in the country of the great task on them to preach unity and peace in the country rather than the current trend that has sowed serious seed of division and hatred
Lukman further emphasized on what he described as an urgent need to start the campaign that any political leader who overtly or covertly defended criminality must be regarded as either a criminal or one with intention to commit crime too.
The PGF DG who stated this in a statement he issued in Abuja on Sunday, regretted that the level of intolerance in the country on account of ethnic background is beyond imagination, adding that justice has been compromised in virtually every part of the country.
He further suggested that the political parties should consider new approaches to challenge political leaders to become leaders and champions of peaceful co-existence.
The statement titled ‘Cries for Justice: Sasha and the Burden of political leadership’, Lukman noted: “The level of intolerance in the country on account of our ethnic background is beyond imagination. The source of it borders on how issues of justice are compromised in virtually every part, affecting every section of the country. In the circumstance we find ourselves as a nation, we should begin to campaign that any political leader who overtly or covertly defended criminality must be regarded as either a criminal or one with intention to commit crime too. Why should we allow any form of defense of criminality to dominate political debate and contest in the country?
“This is the main reason why we vilify every political leader that is not from our tribe, which then produce some fear in us that made us not to allow ourselves to be defeated by such candidates. Given that ethnic groups are being tagged as criminals, there is all manner of political mobilisation based on ethnic undertone,” denoted in the statement.
“As we move towards 2023, this is going to be a serious problem. It is important that our parties are able to consider new approaches that should challenge our political leaders to become leaders and champions of peaceful co-existence..
“This should mean that, if in the past our politics overlooks situations whereby political leaders recklessly engage in politics of ethnic hatred, why shouldn’t a party of change take steps to sanction political leaders who promote it? Part of the advantage APC has at the moment over other parties is the fact that we are in the process of reconstituting our leadership at all levels,” he noted
