Former Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi has called on Nigerian Catholics to actively engage in the political process rather than withdrawing under the guise that politics is a “dirty game”.
Delivering his address in Osogbo, Osun State, Fayemi warned that voter apathy and political indifference among principled citizens leave the reins of power vulnerable to unprincipled individuals.
”Public office is too serious to be left to people who have no fear of God,” Fayemi stated. “When serious Catholics committed to the ideals of social justice and the common good turn away from politics, we open the door for unprincipled opportunists to take power.”
Voters were advised to approach upcoming election cycles, particularly the 2027 general elections, by assessing candidates on track records and policy commitments to human dignity, security, development, and social justice, rather than ethnic, religious, or party loyalties.
Eligible Catholics were urged to register to vote, obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), and actively join voter education, election monitoring, and efforts to safeguard democratic institutions.
Fayemi urged the Catholic Church hierarchy to establish structured political education and leadership programs. He emphasized that encouraging participation without proper training in public policy, constitutional provisions, Catholic social teaching, and governance ethics is insufficient.
Addressing the Catholic Youth Organisation of Nigeria (CYON), Fayemi highlighted the need to equip young people with strategies to resist vote-buying, combat voter apathy, and curb electoral violence ahead of future polls.
Fayemi maintained that active, informed involvement by citizens guided by moral ethics remains the most viable pathway to creating accountable leadership and driving meaningful national reform.
