“Bishop Matthew Kukah, the Archbishop of the Sokoto Diocese and a member of the National Peace Committee, has voiced his displeasure with the judiciary’s and priests’ involvement in politics.
Speaking on Friday at the 8th House of Justice Summit in Kaduna, he expressed these opinions.
The summit’s topic, “Electoral Accountability and Democratic Stability,” made Kukah express his regret over the judiciary’s political entanglement.
He also voiced concerns about the way that priests—including “us”—are participating in politics.
“I find it unfortunate that the court is now becoming entangled in political affairs. Since you would never be the same, I would have also been saddened—and I still am saddened—that even priests in the church are becoming involved in politics.
“You go into poto poto (mud) to wrestle with a pig.” Even if you beat the pig, you can’t just walk about flaunting your appearance.
He made it clear that he wasn’t calling politicians “pigs.” But he clarified that politics has its own beat, particularly when compared to someone who is obligated morally.
“Unintended repercussions are something we will always experience after elections. Furthermore, it’s critical to recognise that a contest is always a contest. And you apply what you’ve learned from this to get ready for the next competition,” he stated.
However, he insisted that Nigerians shouldn’t give up since the best is yet to come. He maintained that Nigerians had to be concerned with the here and now rather than the future.
“Today, you use a mobile phone. Our generation did not inherit cell phones from our predecessors. Each generation will argue over its own issues. Let’s focus on the current issues at hand.
Indeed, we do have dreams about the future. However, as someone once stated, this is the tomorrow you were dreaming about yesterday. However, let’s not worry.
“There are things we could have done differently and we can do differently, so we should be concerned that we are not performing up to par.
However, we must base our efforts on the new consciousness that is beginning to emerge. Justices will therefore carry out their duties.
