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Ahead of the 2019 general elections, Christian leaders have taken up the responsibility to monitor the election to ensure peace as well as check manipulation of election results
Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Kalu Uche revealed this on Sunday while speaking at the “2018 Democracy Day Celebration attended by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Secretary to the Government of the Federation ( SGF) Boss Mustapha, Chairman of the All Progressive Congress ( APC) John Oyegun, Service Chiefs and other top government officials.
Uche who took his message from the book of Job, chapter 14 verses 7 to 9 had in his message lamented the absence of peace and politics devoid of absence of level playing field which he said is responsible for the current tensions ravaging Nigeria.
He noted that even” though it is said that the worst of democracy is better than the best form of dictatorship, under democracy, our leaders have failed toying with the nation’s democracy. ” Our people cannot even organize Simple party primaries.. what a shame”
He noted that peace can only come through servant leadership style, tolerance and fairness, from leaders who know that “though tribes and tongues may differ, in brotherhood we stand”
“You know that there is no security in this country, there is so much bitterness, how can the economy thrive? , he asked .
The Methodist Prelate assured that ” Nigeria will work again”
Speaking further on democracy and election Uche said ” we will work against all who those who plan to manipulate elections in Nigeria in 2019.
” we will never allow that. And let me tell you that if they fire their bullet at us, it will not penetrate because God is with us. The God of Elijah and Elisha is our God.
“We will no longer allow impunity to rain in this country and I don’t belong to any political party but I can influence at least two million Methodists in Nigeria, I can also influence other Christians.
Uche also assured that Christian leaders have also resolved not to vote for certain categories of people ahead of the 2019 elections adding that ” We will never vote in anybody that is lazy, anybody that is wicked, anybody that is a religious bigot, can never smell any office in this land. Those who mean well for Nigeria God will preserve them”
The Prelate while noting that those who trouble Nigeria ” are bastards” added that “those who are planning to hurt Nigeria God will annihilate them”
He however appealed to Nigerians to “come together to build a nation where there Peace, love, harmony, tolerance,
Uche who went down memory lane, noted that ” since independence, we have had great builders, like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello, and Obaremi Awolowo who left legacies with great hopes for Nigeria, who are comparable to the likes of Kwame Nkruma of Ghana, Nelson Madela, etc who worked for the cohesion of their countries”
He recounted how the civil war turned everything upside down with the emergence of leaders who ruled by force and decrees for 33 years.
He also called for review of salaries of top public officials who he said are in authority to embark only on squandermania and waste of public resource, even as he also asked for better policing of the nation’s borders.
” Hawking is an evidence that all is not well with our country. Many young people are deprived and that is why I call on the government with all due respect to review bogus salaries and allowances of those in authority because they are squandering our money. They engage in bogus squandamenia leaving us to suffer, this must stop. We must allow our little cake to go round so that each one will have a bite.
“Our government should ensure something is done about our porous borders in order to checkmate the incidence of migration of miscreants, irresponsible cannibals , wicked people into our country.
He called for a revisit of the document produced during the 2014 National conference, to extract the part that is useful for moving the nation forward even as he said Nigerians must be allowed to discuss how they want to live together
Uche who said it is wrong to call for the division of the country advised those who think they can eliminate others and live alone in Nigeria, saying that such act suffers from delusion.
He also called for Special courts to discharge corruption cases ” enough of exposing ourselves in public odium.
Tony Ailemen, Abuja
