Some issues that agitated my mind in the past few weeks include whether God has left the Anglican Church and whether the body of Christ now communes with the devil?
For Christ sake! Why would a man of God be pitching to elect a bad candidate as governor because they belong to the same religious denomination rather than root for a good man that will work for the people? Why should some anointed men of God turn the House of God into a political theater, thus, causing the Lord to take flight? For ‘it is written that my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.’ Mathew 21:13.
I am not speaking of the Church as a building, for ‘God himself does not dwell in a house built by man’. In Ezekiel 10: 18, the Bible through the prophet told us of how ‘the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the temple’, thus leaving the children with only but two principal options:
- Hold on to their old assumption about God’s tie to the temple, which would mean that their God was in fact dead and gone . Or,
- Embark on a heartbreaking but creative process of considering that God must exist outside of the boundaries of the temple.
Penultimate week, an old senior friend of mine who is an Anglican clergy called me to preach the position of the Anglican Church in the upcoming Anambra State governorship election scheduled by INEC to hold on November 6th 2021.
I listened attentively to him as he spoke for approximately fifteen minutes trying to impress me on why the next governor of Anambra State must come from the Anglican Church denomination. He called it the ‘Anglican Project’. I have no problem with that so long as the candidate being projected, is fit for purpose.
I listened attentively to my clergy friend and tried to make sense out of the conversation while relieving myself of the words of God in Ezekiel 11:19. In my heart I prayed silently. ‘God will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh, so that you may follow my statues’.
I nevertheless reminded my good old friend that I don’t play religious card in politics. I told him that what we need is a good leader who understands the needs of the people, irrespective of his or her religious inclinations.
When we face hardship due to wrong politics and bad policies made by our leaders, we all bear the consequences. The harsh economic realities we currently face , does not discriminate whether you are of the Catholic persuasion or of the Anglican Communion. The markets treat us the same way.
All over the State, people’s sufferings are the same and likewise their needs. What the people want is a governor that understands their needs; someone who will create a good economy; someone who will provide the kind of education that will enable them fit into the economy; one, who understands they need jobs because they are employable; one who understands they need to be paid their wages for work done and that when they retire, they will retire with respect and dignity.
The civil servants and pensioners want their salaries and pensions paid as at when due. The people want someone who will create enabling environment for businesses to thrive. They want when they are sick, to be able to go to a good hospital at affordable cost. They want to live in peace and security. Issues like these are what are important to the people and not faith denomination or religion.
People want to elect a candidate who understands issues as they affect them and who can assist in resolving these issues. They do not want a leader who will compound their woes. Fortunately for ndi-Anambra assisting in resolving issues are key factors that drive Soludo’s interest in politics. Charles Soludo remains our best choice now and he is capable of leading the State to a glorious future. Irrespective of denomination or even political party leaning, he is worthy of our every single vote and support.
I further reminded my friend the clergy, that we are one in the body of Christ and that in all religions and their respective denominations there are the good, the bad and the ugly. I told him that we must pray against the bad and the ugly from rising to rule over us. We pray and hope for good to triumph over evil.
I explained to him that my rare upbringing does not permit me to play religious politics. My paternal grandmother was from Wamba, old Plateau State now Nasarawa State. She was a Muslim. My own mother was born a Roman Catholic. She married my father who was an Anglican. I grew up an Anglican and later became a Catholic at the age of 12 years when I entered St Peter Claver Seminary Okpala , for my secondary education. I told him how I answered the altar call at the Later Rain Church under the ministration of Pastor Tunde Bakare and how my attending Dunamis Bible School sharpened my knowledge of God and helped define my purpose in life. I told him that I see all of God’s creation as one and not from the prism of religious denomination.
To my utter dismay, my friend told me that even if a thief is projected as governor that they the Anglicans, under the so called ‘Anglican Project’, will support and vote for him so long as he is of the Anglican Communion. This conversation exposed the decay in the Church and how much divided the body of Christ has become at a time unity is most required .
I believe listening to my conversation with this clergy, ‘Jesus wept’ for the second time! For if Jesus is to come again and goes through the passion Sunday, there will be clergies and Christians who though profess His name, would rather demand that He should be crucified again. And like the Jews of old, they will ask that Barabbas the notorious murderer and insurrectionist be freed and for Jesus to be crucified.
It is unfortunate that religion has dangerously crept into our politics . This ought not to be so. Politics is about serving interest of the people and not clinging to the interest of any particular religion or denomination to the detriment of the people.
The centre leaning APC has shown capacity to wrought evil. They have harassed, intimidated and subjugated the people. Only an insane population will reward with electoral victory, such a political organisation. It is so unthinkable that knowing our current persecution and travails as nd’Igbo, we wish such a catastrophe on our people. Where lies our faith if we cannot discern good from evil.
As we count down to November 6th, we must turn out in our numbers to vote and elect that governor that will best protect and serve the interest of our people. Someone with the right reputation and pedigree to lead us. We cannot sacrifice our future and the future of our unborn generation because of few pieces of silver.
We have since left Egypt and closed the chapter of thugs and godfathers abducting a sitting governor and burning down government facilities. We shall not return to such ignoble era. We know those that wrecked-havoc on the State and even if they pretend to have forgotten their atrocities, we shall always remember because it is about us. We must locate the will of God outside the prism of religion and denomination and overwhelmingly elect a leader that will do us proud.
By Clem Aguiyi
Tel : 08034747898
Email: totalpolitics@ymail.com
