The bishop said the electorate should acquire the proper Permanent Voters Card and refrain from buying or selling votes. He also warned citizens about the potential violence surrounding the elections and urged residents to vote according to their conscious.
He encouraged people "to vote for any candidate of your choice whom you think has good qualities and capacity to defend, improve and, or add value to your lives and dignity."
He further added that it is the obligation of the Church to educate "the lay faithful on their civic responsibilities, but it didn't direct Catholics on whom, or about who to vote for, because its membership is not made of any one political party, but cut across all the political parties."
During a Christmas statement on behalf of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Obiora Akubeze of Benin City challenged Nigerians to cling closer to Christ to confront the country's recent violence.
Boko Haram is a jihadist military organization active in northern Nigeria. The group has been responsible for hundreds of kidnappings and tens of thousands of deaths and displacements. Last year, the militants burned 22 buildings, including a part of the Catechetical Training Centre in Kaya.
Fulani herdsman, a nomadic Islamic group, have created discord and strife in the middle states of the country. Clashes between the herdsmen and farmers have increased as climate issues have pushed herders to the south. In June, the herdsmen killed more than 80 people in Plateau State.