Church leaders frown on suspension of Abia INEC commissioner
Church leaders in Abia State, yesterday, decried the suspension of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Ike Uzochukwu, during the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.
The church leaders, whose representatives addressed a press briefing at Methodist Bishop’s Court, Umuahia, said: “We have reliable information that during the February 25 elections, the Abia REC was asked to step aside by those who were supposed to assist him conduct free, fair and credible polls for our people.”
The Chairman of the state Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Apostle Emmanuel Agomuo, who read out the Church Leaders’ statement to journalists, said that as Saturday’s governorship and state Assembly elections approach, saboteurs are cautioned to desist from acts that could mar the electoral process.
They advised the Acting REC, who is the Administrative Secretary of the INEC in the state, to be careful not to allow himself be exploited or manipulated by anybody or group to subvert the will of the people by tampering with votes during and after Saturday’s elections in the state. They condemned the video that trended few days ago, where a man was threatening that his candidate must win, even if it means sacrificing human beings, and commended security agencies for his arrest.
They, therefore, tasked INEC to correct all mistakes of February elections and strictly conduct the elections in accordance with the law and guidelines by, among others, distributing materials and personnel in time.
The statement noted that the church leaders would continue to pray for peace, justice and progress, believing that God would answer their prayers.
It added: “This period of general elections challenges us to see our civic and political responsibilities through the eyes of faith, and to work hard to ensure only people with competence, integrity, and who share our common values, as well as vision, are elected into political offices.”
