March 18 polls: Abia Church leaders  declare one day prayer, sues for violence-free elections

From Boniface Okoro, Umuahia

Ahead of the Saturday’s, March 18, 2023, Governorship and House of Assembly elections, Church Leaders in Abia State have declared one day of prayer for peaceful and successful polls, just as they alerted of plans to unleash mayhem and steal the people’s mandate during the said elections.

Representatives of Abia State Church Leaders announced that the one day prayer by people of the state would hold on Friday, March 17, 2023 during a Press Conference in Umuahia, the state capital, on Thursday, March 16, 2023 during which they sued for violence-free elections, while charging youths to shun thuggery.

“Every Abian should seek the face of God through praying and fasting for a peaceful election in the state,” said the Chairman, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Abia State Chapter, Bishop Elekwa Chikezie, who announced the proposed one day prayer as part of the strategies to put violence at bay during polling.

“Only through prayer could any evil planted by the enemy would be dismantled. When we pray, God will move to avert every evil and we will continue to pray until we get the expected result,” Bishop Elekwa added.

The Representatives of the Abia Church Leaders in an eight position paper read by the Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the state, Apostle Dr. Emmanuel Agomoh, alleged that some elements were planning to unleash mayhem, disrupt the electoral process, and steal the peoples mandate come Saturday 18^th March 2023.

The Church leaders said they were worried that saboteurs who were supposed to assist in the conduct of free, fair and credible polls for Abians rather helped to derail the Saturday, February 25, 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections in the state, resulting in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) forcing its Abia Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Ike Uzoukwu, to step aside. They suggested that to stop a repeat occurrence, all stakeholders should approach the March 18 polls with responsibility.

“As we approach the next elections on Saturday, 18th March, 2023, we caution these saboteurs and elements to desist from such acts that mar the electoral process and further their selfish agenda. Abians are aware of their unscrupulous acts and the citizens are more conscious of their rights now than ever.

“In the light of the foregoing, we strongly advise the Acting REC in the person of the Administrative Secretary to be careful not to allow himself to be exploited or manipulated by anybody or group to subvert the sovereign will of our people by tampering with the votes during and after in the forthcoming Governorship and House of Assembly elections,” they warned.

“We are aware of the popular statement: ‘If you don’t like the result, go to court,’ and would like to remind Abians that anything worth doing is worth doing well. As responsible citizens, the end does not justify the means. Therefore, we must conduct ourselves responsibly to ensure that should any faction require to approach the Court it would be for avoidable matters in issue,” they added.

To this end, the group equally appealed to all INEC staff – both full-time and ad-hoc to vehemently resist the temptation to receive bribes or gratification from anybody or group towards manipulating the votes and stealing the mandate of the people.

They specifically charged NYSC members working for INEC to avoid “being co-opted by corrupt politicians to sacrifice their future destinies on the altar of immediate and mundane gains.”

The Church Leaders commended the security agencies for arresting a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain who threatened, in a viral video, to kill anyone who would vote opposition parties in the March 18 election, urging them not to rest on their oars as some undesirable elements were still working to cause violence on the election day.

 The Church leaders also called on the citizens to act responsibly in playing their roles. According to them, “the youths should desist from political thuggery and violence; voters should shun all forms of vote buying, nepotism, and corruption; and INEC officials should conduct themselves responsibly, shun tardiness by arriving at polling units early with all necessary materials and conducting the election fairly and transparently, ensuring that all approved legal proceedings and guidelines are strictly followed from early distribution of materials, conduct at polling units, use of BVAS machines, collation and uploading certified results at the polling units.”

“We continue to pray for peace, justice and progress, and we believe that God has answered our prayers,” they said, adding, “it is time for the people of Abia to rise to their civic and political responsibilities and take up their political destiny into their hands.”

Answering a question on whether the demoralised electorate may not come out to vote during the March 18 elections following the outcome of the February 25 presidential election, Methodist Archbishop of Umuahia who hosted the Press Conference, Most Rev. (Dr.) Chibuzo Raphael Opoko, said: “No matter the imperfections of the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections, we want to encourage Abians to go out en masse and vote for candidates of their choice on March 18. They should not be discouraged, rather they should be concerned because this election is local and we must be concerned with what happens around us.”

Also, Past Principal Clerk of General Assembly, The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria and President, African Communion of Reformed Churches (ACRC), Most Rev. Dr. Uma A. Onwunta, said the Church Leaders still reposed confidence in INEC but stressed that the electoral body could only justify that confidence by the way they conduct the March 18 elections.

“We have confidence in INEC but the Commission must justify this confidence by the manner it handles the March 18 elections,” Onwunta said.

Given the atmosphere of fear being created ahead of the election, the Church Leaders assured voters that proactive measures have been taken to ensure their safety during polling.

“The electorate should not be afraid to come out because we have taken proactive steps to counter any threat of violence,” Methodist Archbishop of Okigwe, Most Rev. B.L.Onuagha, said while responding to another question.

In his piece of advice, the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) Block Leader, Rev. Monsignor Leo Emenike Amafili, cautioned the youths against making themselves available for use by politicians to cause political violence. “If you go into violence, you mortgage your future,” he said.

Other members of Representative of Abia State Church Leaders who signed the position paper on the March 18 elections in the state include: Bishop, Aba Ecclesiastical Province (Anglican), Most Rev. Dr. Isaac Chijioke Nwaobia. Catholic Bishop of Umuahia Diocese, Most Rev. Michael K. Ukpong; Methodist Archbishop of Aba, Most Rev. G.A.Agupusi, Chairman of Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), Senior Evangelist Chukwuemeka Opoko Wogu, Anglican Bishop of Umuahia, Rt. Rev. Geoffrey Ibeabuchi and Methodist Bishop of Ndoro/Chairman of Christian Churches of Nigeria (CCN), Abia State, Rt. Rev Dr. Udoh Nmeregini.

Others are: TEKAN/ECWA, Abia Leader, Rev. Ojo Ojo; Peculiar Ministries International, Bishop Dr. Goddy Okafor; The Presbyterian Church of Nigeria, Umuahia, Rt. Rev. Ibeawuchi U. Agwu, and Bishop of Better Covenant Church, Umuahia, Bishop Agbugbaerulek Samuel.