Monarch Advices Politicians To Imbibe Spirit Of Sportsmanship

The Sarkin Deddere in Nasarawa State, Alhaji Balarabe Saidu-Muhammad, has called on politicians in the country to imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship by accepting electoral outcomes in good faith. Saidu-Muhammad made the call on Monday in Lafia, in a chat with Newsmen . “It will do us a lot of good if we can emulate developed countries, a situation where by the losers after election congratulate the winner, with a promise to join hands with them to move their country forward,’’ he said. Saidu-Muhammad, a 2nd Class Emir in Nasarawa State, said it was only when politicians learnt to accept defeat that the country would move toward democratic stability and economic development. He advised politicians not to be too desperate or engage in do or die politics even as INEC had commenced collation of election results nationwide. The monarch reminded politicians that; “God gives and takes leadership to and from whosoever He wishes and at His appointed time. “We should always have it at the back of our minds that we can only have one Chairman, governor, national assembly member or president at a time and as such, politicians should not lose faith in God. “We have to continually remind ourselves of the fact that democracy must be allowed to grow, to be in tune with the extant global trends.’’ Saidu-Muhammad also noted that Nigerian politicians were always putting personal interests above Nigeria’s overall interest by causing confusion during and after elections. According to him, only God bestows power to whomsoever He wills, and this should guide people’s action and reactions in politics. He, however, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its effort at ensuring the peaceful conduct of presidential and National Assembly elections nationwide. “Though INEC might have encountered some challenges during the exercise, they have performed credibly well. “They, however, need to improve in areas where there are problems during the forthcoming Gubernatorial and House of Assembly election,’’ the traditional ruler added.