The Northern Elders Forum and Catholic Laity Council have urged Nigerians to consider the age and  physical capacity of presidential candidates for the 2023 election before casting their votes.

The Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria, CLCN, pleaded with Nigerians to avoid sentiments and vote for the best candidates whose manifestos and economic blueprint could lead Nigeria out of her present quagmire.

The spokesman of the NEF, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, revealed this during an interview on Channels Television Politics programme on Sunday night.

He said “northern elders won’t make the mistake they made in 2015 when they endorsed All Progressives Congress’ Muhammadu Buhari and encouraged the people of the region to cede their bloc votes to him.

“Nigeria’s next President must have the ability to secure the country, improve the economy, and have plans for 34 million out-of-school children in the region.

“While noting that the thoughts of the candidate on restructuring and other national issues would be evaluated.

Baba-Ahmed said: “It will be a basis with which the north will support a candidate. What he intends to do in terms of satisfying us that he has the mental capacity, the physical capacity, the intellect, the willingness to tap into the best that is available, sensitivity to a number of key issues that are central to our survival as a country. Those things are going to represent for us the basis for which we will support a candidate.

“We will support a southerner if we believe he will do justice to the interest of the north and the interest of other parts of the country. What is important for us is that we are looking for the best that is available.”

Catholic Laity urge Nigerians to consider age, health status, others.

In a resolution at the end of its 149th National Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Bauchi, on Monday. The document signed by Sir Henry Yunkwap, National President and Mr. Godwin Gege, acting National Secretary-General, Catholic Laity Council also condemned the unjustifiable and unprovoked attack on facilities, abduction and gruesome murder of Catholic priests, religious, lay faithful and innocent Nigerians in general.

The group said, “The problem of Nigeria is the failure of leadership; the inability of our leaders to rise to their responsibilities. The council, therefore, urges Catholics to study and apply the Catholic social teachings to extensive and complex issues in all spheres of life, so that being involved in the political developments in Nigeria will be able to revitalise our Catholic faith for political stability in the nation.

“Council joins her voice to that of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, to urge all Catholic Lay faithful and Nigerians in general, to be honest in conscience and rise above the sentiments of political parties, support and vote for the best candidates whose manifestos and economic blueprint can lead Nigeria out of her present quagmire.

‘’The electorate must consider the age, health status, intellectual sagacity, and grasp of developmental paradigm shift in choosing their next leaders.”