The Prelate,
Methodist Church Nigeria, Rev. Samuel Uche, has said Christians will not vote
for wicked and lazy politicians, who are religious bigots in the 2019
elections.
He said although he
had only one vote, he could influence at least two million voters from his
denomination and many other Christians.
Uche said this in a sermon delivered at
the 2018 Democracy Day Interdenominational Church Service held at the National Christian
Centre, Abuja where Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo warned Nigerians to resist the
temptation of asking to be returned to the era of the past characterised by
corruption and ethnic conflicts.
While saying impunity
would no longer be allowed in the country, Uche said he was ready to
take the bullet while fighting the menace.
He said, “As we celebrate Democracy Day
on Tuesday and as we remember our children today, I want to advise that we
should avoid do-or-die politics.
“There should be no
fear in politics. Let people be allowed to vote and let their votes
count.
“We will work against
all those who plan to manipulate elections; we will never allow that. And let
me tell you that if they fire their bullet, 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
reign in this country. 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.
“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. Those who are planning to hurt Nigeria, God will annihilate
them.
“So, let us come together to build a
nation where there is peace, love, harmony, tolerance, concord and synergy.”
The clergyman warned
the ruling party against clamping down on members of the opposition
parties just as he advised the opposition members to avoid crying
wolf where there was none.
He warned all
stakeholders against heating up the polity, saying the nation needed peace.
He also described the calls for the
breaking of the country as nonsensical, adding that those behind such calls
were ignorant.
The cleric said
Nigerians must learn to live together in peace.
Uche also called on
the Federal Government to revisit the report of the 2014 National Conferencewith
a view to picking the recommendations that would be useful to the
nation.
He advised the government to
stop apportioning blame and pointing fingers, saying it was a waste of time.
He supported the call
for the establishment of special courts for urgent trial of corruption cases.
According to the
clergyman, Nigeria personifies the biblical Job at this time because
the country’s problems and challenges are many.
He said the nation’s past heroes meant
well for Nigeria and they worked for the nation’s progress.
Uche, however, said
the present-day politicians acted with impunity because they had not learnt
their lessons.
He described 90 per
cent of such politicians as chameleonic, asking them to change.
“Our leaders have
failed to provide good leadership. They can’t organise simple primaries. There
is in-fighting. What a shame! We need peace before we can build a nation of our
dream. We need tolerance, forgiveness and forbearance,” he said.
Uche urged the Federal Government to
review the bogus salaries and allowances of those in authority downwards,
saying they could not continue to be enjoying while the people were suffering.
He enjoined them to
allow the little national cake to go round so that everybody could have a bite.
“Hawking is 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 the
bogus salaries and allowances of those in authorities because they are squandering
our money.
“They engage in bogus
spending leaving us to suffer; this must stop. We must allow our little cake to
go round so that each one can 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 and
wicked people into our country,” he said.
Uche said former
President Olusegun Obasanjo recently told him about a Yoruba proverb that meant
that a family could only know peace if there were no bastards.
“All those who are
troublers of Nigeria are bastards. A family only knows peace where there are no
bastards.
“No holy book
encourages war or hostility. Why then do we have hatred, malice and
intolerance?
“I blame religious
leaders of different faiths who collect money. They are wicked,
malicious, and satanic,” he said.
Despite all the ills,
Uche said he saw hope for the country if only Nigerians could agree that theamalgamation of
1914 was a divine one.
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