2015: Makarfi Urges Nigerians To Vote Based On Ability, Not Religious Affiliation

Sen. Ahmed Makarfi Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance,
Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, has advised Nigerians
to elect candidates based on their ability,
rather than religious affiliation, to promote
peace and unity in the country. Makarfi said this on Friday in Kaduna when
he received a delegation of Arewa
Christians’ Political Forum (ACPF) at his
residence. He advised the group to ensure the unity of
the North by not championing overzealous
politicians based on religious sentiments
which was capable of destroying the
corporate existence in the region. “As a nation, the basic requirement for
good governance is security, and this
requires all stakeholders to pursue it
holistically,’’ he said. Makarfi urged the forum to support quality
leadership that would ensure peace,
security and development, adding that he
would do his best to assist the members in
their quest. Earlier, the Spokesman of the Forum, Mr
Victor Bobai, said the visit was in line with
the wider consultations by the forum to
sensitise and mobilise political support in
preparations for the 2015 elections. Bobai said that the inequality and non
effective representation of Christians in
the North led to the emergence of the
forum. According to him, the forum is a voice for
marginalised Northern Christians from the
Northern states. “Christian youth in the North should be
given equal opportunities like their Muslim
counterparts in the region. “Our growth has been stunted based on
discrimination; we call on our leaders to
come to our aid. “We require balance in terms of amenities,
like the Almajiri Educational programme
designed for Muslim youth. “There is need for the government to
balance up developmental programmes in
the region to avoid acrimony,’’ he said. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports
that for months the group had been
conferring with several Northern leaders
with political and economic influence to
come to their aid in ensuring fairness.
[NAN]