From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The new National President, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Wale Oke, has said some politicians have taken the 2023 general elections as make-or-mar elections.
The PFN president said this when he addressed reporters in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Wednesday, during which he rolled out his seven-point agenda, which include a partnership between the North and South of Nigeria for national development.
According to him, ‘we are face-to-face with a make-or-mar 2023 election with the way politicians are playing the game. Therefore, we as Christians see it as a call to duty to pull Nigeria back from breaking, to prevent Nigerian from becoming a failed state.’
Oke, who is the Presiding Bishop of the Sword of the Spirit Ministries, noted the signs that made an American to predict that Nigeria would break into smaller countries in 2015, are gathering momentum in the country again, ahead of the 2023 polls.
He added that he and other men of God went on their knees and prayed against the fulfilment of the prediction based on the fact that ‘ e are better together and we are stronger together. God loves Nigeria. He cares for Nigeria. He has a plan for Nigeria. That is why He answered our prayers.’
Speaking on the North-South partnership, the seventh president of PFN explained that this would promote partnership between southern and northern Nigeria for national strength and unity.
‘We will explore the strength we have as people of the same nation as against exploiting the fault lines. We will start at the church. The church in the south will partner with the church in the north. We will do this through spiritual education and enlightenment.
‘The partnership will be built through sincerity of purpose, working in love and with prayers. The difference in religion will not be a barrier because everyone will naturally respond to love once it is given sincerely.’
He mentioned three among the seven-point agenda, including, mobilising all Pentecostals for kingdom advancement and nation-building. The second on the list is youth empowerment for nation-building and North-South partnership.
‘We will do this by praying, fasting and speaking truth to power. We will mobilize our followers for nation-building economically and politically to bring their enormous number to bear in building Nigeria. We don’t want our members to lay back and be complaining. We want to take responsibility to build the nation,’ he said.