From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Bible Ministry Pastor Williams F Kumuyi on Wednesday called on Christians and Nigerians, in general, to vote intelligently in order to elect the best crop of leaders in the upcoming general elections.
Kumuyi said prayers alone are not enough if Nigeria must get it right with the elections, insisting such prayers must be backed with action which casting of votes by eligible voters.
This is even as the preacher called on various candidates to eschew bitterness in their campaigns, adding that they should accept the outcome of the elections and work with the winners to solve the nation’s teething challenges.
The cleric spoke in Asaba, Delta State at a press briefing ahead of the six-day Global Crusade with Kumuyi (GCK) with the theme: ‘Unforgettable Encounter.’
According to him, “the Christian church is praying but we must follow this up with action, in the sense that all those who are eligible to vote should vote intelligently because we are choosing our leaders.
“And leading us means quite a lot, security is there, the finance, various issues are there. We should actually decide who we want to rule over us,” he said.
He advised the presidential candidates to conduct their campaigns without bitterness, noting that it is only one person that can be president at a time.
“So we should do our best as candidates to say what we want to say without fighting other people, without knocking other people.
“And whoever wins, the rest should just accept and as a real gentleman, approach issues recognising the fact that we are one, and not continue fighting.
“The winner should understand that it is a responsibility, he has been voted to lead us and help us get out of whatever challenges we have found ourselves.
“He is there to solve problems. Even the rest of us, the entire population should accept the winner so that we can move on,” Kumuyi admonished.
Painting a grim picture of the worsening situation in the country, Kumuyi said he is uncomfortable with the level of hunger, insecurity, unemployment and other issues bedevilling Nigeria.
“If just one person sleeps at night without having a meal, and he sleeps in hunger, just one person out of the millions of people, I will feel uncomfortable.
“And if one person that should have a job and does not have a job and we are not doing anything about, I will feel uncomfortable.
“Nobody feels comfortable in the face of insecurity but we should all, in our little corner, be doing something to change the situation.
“Then those who lead us who see where we bleed and where we suffer, I believe they should have some strategy in place so that our discomfort will be less,” he admonished.
Kumuyi said the crusade was part of the solutions to the nation’s challenges, declaring that there be life-transforming miracles during the spiritual exercise.