By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Calistus Valentine Chukwuma (CVC) Onaga, has called on residents of the South East not to sit back on Saturday but to come all out and cast their votes. He charged residents to ignore calls for stay-at-home allegedly by a faction of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

He warned voters not to abstain from the voting process as such will lead to the failure of their preferred candidate in the February 25 presidential poll.

Bishop Onaga who made the call during his homily on Sunday, February 19, 2023 at the Holy Ghost Cathedral, Enugu, asked those trying to stop people from going to vote to desist.

He said: “I urge you my people to please go and vote and ignore such calls and antics to stop us from voting.

“If you don’t, your preferred candidate will lose votes. One thing you should know is that whether you go and vote or you abstain from voting, the election result must be declared.

“Ndi Igbo should not shut out themselves from voting, let it not be like 2006 when the last census was conducted and they abstained and are paying for the consequences today. Not voting is committing a sin because voting is a civic responsibility and failure to perform a civic responsibility is committing of sin.

“If you allow yourself to be deceived that is your business. But please don't allow yourself to be deceived.”

While presenting the communique of the CBCN Plenary Session to the congregation, the Catholic Bishop wondered why a group of people who claim to be fighting for the rights and freedom of the people are at the same chaining those they are fighting for to the doors and windows.

His words: “Please we want to be free. How can you say you are fighting for my rights and freedom and you are chaining me to my doors and windows?

“How can you say you are protecting me and fighting for my security and you are at the same time shooting and killing me? We cannot reconcile this claim and the present situation in the southeast.

“In the southeast now people go outside the zone to celebrate their birthday anniversaries, hold other social events, and even go outside the southeast zone to do funeral of their loved ones and give out their children to marriages, yet you claim to be fighting for my freedom and protecting my security.

“This is not fair. You are fighting for me and you are killing me. Killing is not good. The killing has deadly repercussions and consequences and you can never run away from it, either you or your children. I want to be free because God created me to be free.

“Nobody can stop me from having my free movement. How can you be outside in safe heaven where you enjoy the good life and you are causing destruction of lives and properties in Igbo land? My dear, you will never go unpunished for it. God will surely give you his judgemnent and you can never run away from it.

“You don’t want us to vote here but where you are living you vote and participate actively in politics there. My dear people, you must go and vote. If you allow yourself to be deceived that is your business. But please don't allow yourself to be deceived.”