2023: Bishop Nwokolo cautions politicians against inflammatory utterances, rash decisions

(By Alex Uzoigwe and Michael Nwankwo)

Bishop on the Niger, the Rt Rev. Dr Owen Nwokolo, has cautioned the political class in Nigeria against, not only making inflammatory utterances, but also for them  to refrain from endorsing decisions capable of  scuttling the 2023 General Elections.

 Giving the advice in the Presidential Address he delivered at the 1st Session of the 32nd Synod of the diocese held at the All Saints’ Cathedral Onitsha, recently, Bishop Nwokolo pleaded with the politicians and their parties not to plunge the country into another season of civil unrest as a result of political mischievousness.

 Being particular about the 2023 Elections, the bishop said that the Anglican Church was in good support of the exercise and had been praying for its success, but appealed to politicians to reciprocate by being shrewd enough to play the game according to its standard rules.

The bishop had in a religious fatherly tone advised the politicians to consciously abstain from acts, utterances and insinuations capable of heating up the national polity, entreating them to be careful not to throw the country into a state of anarchy.

 Bishop Nwokolo however challenged politicians and political parties contending elective positions in the on-coming elections in the country to diligently articulate quality and feasible manifestoes as philosophical bedrocks of their parties.

Underscoring the adverse effects of near absence of manifestoes in the nation’s politics, the bishop remarked, “We have observed of late that inadequate or lack of intelligible and distinct manifestoes by political parties in the country has been the major cause of the prevailing carpet crossings characteristic of the present crop of Nigerian politicians.”

According to him, “It is unfortunate and worrisome that instead of politicians to allow themselves to be guided by sound nation- building manifestoes, they rather descend very low and cling to self-serving interests, religion or ethnicity driven politics.

“The Synod condemns, unequivocally, any form of politics founded on religious, tribal or selfish considerations as against one driven by intelligible nation-building manifestoes”, he said.