The gubernatorial election in Edo State was not conducted alongside the February 2023 general elections due to its “off-cycle” status, which arose after the State's electoral calendar shifted from the national cycle “primarily due to legal battles” following previous gubernatorial elections.
The decision that the court made in 2008 altered the electoral timetable for the Nigerian State, placing its Gubernatorial poll on a separate schedule from the national elections.
In his input during the September 15 Townhall, Bishop Kukah emphasized the need for the inhabitants of Edo State to embrace peace, reminding them that the sacrifices made by security personnel, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials, and other election stakeholders are meant to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.
The Catholic Church leader, who, along with John Cardinal Onaiyekan, serves on Nigeria's National Peace Committee (NPC), expressed the committee’s expectations for peaceful outcomes after every election. He lamented that these hopes are often undermined.
“We thought we could all go home once hands were shaken,” Bishop Kukah said, referring to the Committee’s efforts to promote peaceful elections across Africa’s most populous nation.
“But to our surprise, everyone – from the media to political figures – asked us to stay. Our job was not done. We must continually remind ourselves of the need for peace in our political processes, not just through words, but through actions,” he said.
The Nigerian Catholic Church leader reflected on the ongoing role of the Peace Committee in Nigeria’s elections. He said, “You don’t give your daughter away in marriage only to be called every time there’s a quarrel. That's how I feel with the Peace Committee. We should have hoped by now that elections would gain enough traction to not always need our involvement."
“Edo elections will come and go. They will be peaceful. There may be debates, as there should be because debates open up the democratic space for everyone to be heard. But remember, this is your State, your home. If violence is created, you will all go back to your homes, but the scars of that violence will remain,” Bishop Kukah said September 15.
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