Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president of Nigeria, said he is sincerely worried about the disunity in Nigeria due to the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.
Atiku, in his Eid-el-Fitr message, noted that the disunity is being caused by politicians trying to win support by exciting the emotions of ordinary people rather than by having good or morally right ideas.
Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the PDP, however, urged Nigerians to pray for God to enlarge His mercies and blessings upon the country.
The former vice president said: “Nigeria needs peace and harmony, and we as citizens must ensure that we live our lives according to the pleasings of God. We must make justice and fairness the hallmark of our nation.
“Let’s not pretend that all is well. Our country is deeply divided. The outcome of the 2023 presidential election has made this division worse. I’m sincerely worried about this appalling reality.
“Nigeria is so important to us that we shouldn’t abandon its fate to divisive and demagogic politicians. We are all stakeholders in a united Nigeria. We must be part of the efforts to achieve interfaith dialogue to achieve peaceful coexistence and a clime of love and religious tolerance.”
Atiku also congratulated Muslims for successfully witnessing the end of this year’s Ramadan fasting period.
He described it as a period that came with tough spiritual challenges ‘that were designed to strengthen our Iman and Tawheed.”
The former vice-president said: “During this period of self-discipline, we had seen the importance of abstention from all sinful acts that are in the overall interest of our spiritual life and happiness. God teaches us to eschew evils because it’s for our ultimate good.
“One of the greatest blessings of Ramadan is that it helps us to get closer to our Creator, strengthen our faith, and promote charity or the spirit of giving to the weak and poor. It is important that we continue to live with the spirit of love, peace and harmony that Ramadan requires.
“It is equally important that we remember our country as we pray at our respective Eid prayer grounds. We must pray for God to enlarge His mercies and blessings upon the country.”