By Samuel Alonge
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Ahead of next month’s presidential election, Leader of the One Love Family, Sat Guru Maharaj Ji, has counselled presidential contestants from the southern part of the country to withdraw from the race, saying there is a national understanding that the North is yet to complete its term.

Maharaj Ji, in a statement he issued on Sunday, said it was hypocritical for the southerners to field a presidential candidate, let alone allow the candidate to endure till this moment in the race.

The spiritual leader, who turned 71 last December, said there was no doubt that the current pack of southern presidential candidates “is totally disqualified.”

“I would like to state here that even though Nigeria has been manipulated to practise a presidential system where ‘the North and the South have to go for two terms each’, which is a stronger understanding to make the Nigerian project work, that arrangement has now been reduced to ‘chop make I chop affair’.

“Yet, in the light of this, it is hypocritical for the southerners to field a candidate, let alone desire to make the candidate contest the presidential election thus far, because the North has to complete its second tenure for now, until we change the rule,” he declared.

However, Maharaj Ji had, since President Muhammadu Buhari declared his intention to contest for another term, thrown his weight behind the President, saying he deserved it, “to finish up with his developmental projects.”

In his latest statement too, Maharaj has also advised “other presidential candidates in the race”, to go clear themselves with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) before the election day.