The Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria, Samuel Uche, has said the church will mobilise support for young Nigerians seeking political office in the 2019 elections.
Addressing a press conference on Monday to mark the end of the church’s 46th Conference and 11th Biennial Conference at Wesley Cathedral Methodist Church, Aba, Abia State, the Prelate however stressed that the church would only mobilise for good, upright and young aspiring candidates to make Nigeria better.
He disclosed that the church had a Political Evolution Monitoring Group to support the progressive political developments in Nigeria.
In a communique signed by the Conference Secretary, Rev. Michael Akinwade, the church commended the Federal Government for signing into law the “Not too Young to Run Bill” to enable young people be involved in leadership, calling for an enabling environment to make the law effective.
The church also recommended that financial autonomy for local governments would enhance grassroots development even as it appealed to those at the local governments not to divert funds accruing to them to white elephant projects.
The communique equally urged every citizen above 18 years old to process Permanent Voter’s Card which it said is the main tool for determining who governs us.
“We equally urge citizens to come out and vote, not sell their votes but vote according to their conscience.
“Stakeholders in the electoral process should ensure that rigging elections is resisted,” the church also stated.
The church through the communique sounded a note of warning to the political parties that none would be allowed to misbehave in 2019 and that anyone which misbehaved would face the consequences.
It warned against politics with bitterness which had become rampant in Nigeria thereby overheating the polity and urged politicians to play by the rules.
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Other recommendations contained in the communique include: that governments should pay sustainable wages to workers, as owing them had often led to the untimely death of many; that government should handle the welfare of workers with care to discourage financial corruption in private and public sectors of national life and that government should do everything possible to ensure the release of Miss Leah Sharibu who was abducted by Boko Haram insurgents in February.
The church, through the communique also learnt its voice to the calls for the creation of state police under the command of governors as well as an overhaul of Nigeria’s security apparatus to check incessant loss of lives.
On the issue of ranches, the church said that to ensure peace and equity, cattle farmers should create ranches in their home states emphasising that “cattle colonies or grazing fields should not be used as a means of colonisation, religious proselytising and forcible acquisition of the ancestral lands of others.”
It restated the need for peace and unity in Nigeria.
