THE Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) in Cross River State has stated that it is prepared to follow the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) instructions over how to vote in the 2023 elections.
Dr. Lawrence Ekwok, Chairman of the Fellowship in the State, stressed that CAN is the national umbrella organization for Christian organizations, and that its directives on the 2023 election have been adopted by the national leadership of PFN, and that Cross River stands by those directives in his speech on Tuesday at the conclusion of a two-day Greater Nigeria Project campaign organized by the Fellowship in the State.
“CAN which has the overall powers over the five Christian blocks in the country has taken a position as to who every Christian should vote and they came out with guidelines which have been distributed to all our members in the state in the churches through their pastors and we are following those guidelines”
Ekwok stated that Dr. Cosmos Ilechukwu, the National Secretary of PFN, took the time to inform PFN members of the organization’s direction while serving as the National Chairman of CAN during the Greater Nigeria Project campaign in the state. According to Ekwok, the message was clear and well received.
“Dr Ilechukwu spent time to speak with the people to let them know that the church is in a position to decide who is to be elected in 2023 and I believe more people have a clear understanding now that the church has more role to play beyound just praying
“The Bible commands us to pray for our leaders and beyound praying the church must participate in the governance process by getting involved in electioneering process and participating actively themselves and there is nothing wrong in anybody seeking to represent his people”
According to the PFN Chairman, the church will base its decision on someone’s honesty, their lack of bias, and their fear of God. Members are free to research and evaluate candidates who satisfy the CAN’s requirements before casting their votes for them.
Over one million church members are currently being mobilized to vote in the state’s 2023 election in support of their preferred candidates, according to Prof. Kyrian Ojong, Chairman of the planning committee for the Greater Nigeria Project in Cross River. In the past, many church members had distanced themselves from politics due to the way the game was played, but recent events in the nation have brought them back.
“I thank God for the introduction of B- Vas now which has come to stop the struggle for ballot boxes by politicians which made the game a do or die thing but with the reality of what we see on ground today characterised by bad governance, insensitivity by leaders do we are tired of praying and people countering the purpose of God for the country, we have to participate fully”
He claimed that the Greater Nigeria Project gave national christian leaders the chance to discuss the goal and function of christians in politics, and that the messages are being well received all around the nation.
“Let me tell us, if people who are not God fearing are ninety percent in an executive council of a state, that council will not act with the fear of God but if you have fifty percent of people who are God fearing in that council, there is a high chance that the council will take decisions which are for the benefit of majority of the population not just for their personal interest”
