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Christian Leaders in Nigerian State Urge Voter Registration, Say God “will not” Vote

Some voter’s cards for the General Elections in Nigeria scheduled for 2023. Credit: Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)/Facebook

By Silas Isenjia

Lagos, 20 March, 2022 / 5:21 pm (ACI Africa).

Religious leaders under the auspices of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Oyo State chapter, have urged the people of God in the West African country to register as voters to guarantee their active participation in next year’s general elections.

In a Friday, March 18 report, the leadership of CAN in Oyo State says Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), “will not count” religious observances. 

“INEC will not count prayers, INEC will not count fasting, INEC is only interested in your vote as such they can work with to ensure Justice; God will not come down to elect for the masses; He only need you to pray and carefully obtain your voters card while you do the voting,” CAN leadership in the Nigerian State says.

Officials of the Christian entity that includes representatives of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) emphasize the need for obtaining voter’s card and turning out to vote as the only legitimate way of exercising patriotic rights to vote for the right person for the right reason.

They caution voters against exchanging their votes for money saying that such an act will only maintain the challenging situation in the country rather than resolve it.

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“Do not just obtain your voters card, but be prepared to participate in the voting process,” CAN officials in Oyo State say, and add, “Do not sell your vote for any reason because the same condition that make you trade or sell off your vote will continue; if you vote for the wrong person at that time your cry, regret and hardship, will continue for another tenure.”

They further remind the people of God in the West African country about their democratic role in electing a democratic government. 

The Christian leaders say, “In a democratic governance, the power of who to elect is bestowed on the people; the choice to either sell off their vote or trade it for food stuff, transportation, or clearance of temporary Bill is dependent on the individual.”

Earlier this month, representatives of Christian leaders in Nigeria decried insecurity in the country and said that it is “the biggest threat to 2023 elections.”

“The government appears to be struggling to nip the ugly situation in the bud, their present effort is far from being enough,” CAN Chairman, Rev. Samson Ayokunle was quoted as saying in the  March 5 report.

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Rev. Ayokunle added, “We have been struggling with this situation now for the past thirteen years, yet, we are still where we are!”

The CAN official called upon the country’s federal government and security agencies “to wake up to the security challenges in the country where terrorists, bandits and kidnappers are operating with impunity and nowhere is safe and secure again.”

Silas Isenjia

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.

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