Several Christian clerics have reacted to the recent advice by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to the effect that churches should avoid politicians who would use them only for election, maintaining that the church indeed played what should be their roles in the nation during a political period such as the 2023 general elections.

Reacting to Wike’s advice, Rev. Dr. Rexkennedy Saltlove, a cleric cum poetical activist, maintained that the so-called ‘advice’ to the church is subjective.

He said: “This is due to the fact that the ‘Church’ in question here is not just one person and so not subject to easy manipulations, seductions or coercion as to imply that it lacks discretion or ability to make informed decisions.

“A lot of very fundamental and basic questions will subtly and directly beg for answers and challenges.

“These are the constitutional and inalienable human rights of things like freedom of association, freedom of choice and rights to free speech and expressions. The church is the custodian of very strong moral values.

“The umbrella body of churches like the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and it blocks, the Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria/Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (CPFN/PFN), Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), Organisations of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), and TEKAN/ECWA Fellowships did not come out outrightly to say ‘This is the person or politician we are supporting, vote for him or her’.

“If some of the leaders, by their body languages, seem tilted in subtly endorsing a candidate, benchmarking this on the constitutional and inalienable rights, it connotes using a model politician in driving home a message of what character their followers/flock and other citizens should emulate, because politics is transient.

“There are more heavy issues like characters, morals and values that are indispensable for an ideal society to evolve.

“Secondly, there were lots of politicians who are of the Christian and Muslim faiths. But, Wike is focusing on just the Church and Christian politicians. Why should one seem to have pre-eminence over the other?

“People still see politics as a very dirty; game. Where it seems some Christian leaders came out openly to do public endorsement vocally, those who disagreed expressed it without delay.

“Thus citizens, those who are 18 years and above that should exercise their fundamental constitutional rights should be discerning enough to know it is a matter of choice to be made, based on policies being advocated by various candidates that best guarantees their future and better living in the nation and not just sentiments.

“Politics and politicians are transient and the church knows that. As for the issue of being ‘used’, I see the politicians driving the way ethnic factors were strongly pushed in Lagos and made central issues.

“Trying to use ethno-religious factor to divide and drive home their points and exalting it above policy morals and value issues

Dr. Kalu Ofon Emmanuel, a cleric and public affairs analyst, said he admired Wike over his recent advice to churches, which he said was to warn them of being used by politicians for elections and thereafter abandoned them.

He said: “I think his advice would have been significant and more valuable before the elections and not post elections. I hate hypocritical statements because l am not a hypocrite.

“The Church voted as they were led. They voted for people who they felt would not kill them, mesmerise them, destroy their churches, instead of those who have core leadership qualities and abilities. (Sunday Independent)

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