Richardson, who heads one of the largest American churches with people of African and Caribbean descents, said at the church service to commemorate the 2019 Black History Month that Nigeria is too important to be drawn into any political crisis.
NAN reports that the cleric, who hosted the Consul General of Nigeria to New York, Mr Benaoyagha Okoyen, representing the diplomatic community at the service, said: “We pray for peace in the Nigerian election; we pray that the outcome will be peace”.
He advised that whoever loses the election should accept defeat or challenge the outcome in a peaceful manner.
“It’s not about who wins, it’s about keeping the calm in the country no matter what.
“And that’s in the best interest of all Nigerians and all Africans in the world that there be peace in Nigeria,” the cleric said.
According to him, Nigeria or any other country in Africa could not afford any political crisis again.
The Consul-General of Nigeria, Benaoyagha Okoyen, in his remarks at the church service, commended the Nigerians and Africans in the diaspora “for their resilience, determination and ingenuity”.
“In recognising the central roles of Blacks in the United States history, we must continue to celebrate the distinct cultural heritage, accomplishments and acknowledge the enormous contributions of the Africans in the development of the United States of America.”
