By Danjuma Auta
The ECWA President, Rev.(Dr.) Stephen Baba Panya, has stated that members cannot continue to shy away from politics and called on them to ensure that the right people are elected into political offices, adding that the time has come for the church to change the narrative.
According to him, “time has come for the church to be actively involved in politics if Nigeria must be fixed with the right people for governance.’’
He noted that the Church perceived politics as being satanic venture and those involved as sinful Christians but assured that the church was working towards correcting such misconceptions.
The cleric stated that, the church had since discovered that true leadership could only be entrenched by godly leaders which was why the church was encouraging her sons and daughters that are into politics to be more committed and take their rightful place in the governance of Nigeria.
He however, pointed out that the church would not take sides by supporting a particular political party even as it would support their aspirations wherever they may find themselves.
According to him, God is the foundation of good and impactful governance.
He lamented the trend where people, instead of putting their trust in God and seeking His counsel about their political ambitions, chooses to contact small gods.
He warned about the danger, involved in such acts and called on such politicians to repent or face the consequences.
Guest speaker at the occasion, Prof. James Zasha, charged participants to always be aware that God was interested in people who participate in godly politics with the aim of making a difference.
Speaking on the topic, `Politics of power and the church,’ the guest speaker said that the meeting was coming at a time when there is deep discordance in the body of Christ regarding the role of the Church in politics and commended ECWA for organizing the summit.
He said that there had been an unfortunate gulf between the church and politics, and called on politicians to identify and close ranks with godly people so as to salvage the legacy of this country.
He lamented that even though politics in Nigeria today had continued to be dangerous, not getting involved could be more deadly as that would give room for the wrong people to decide the fate of the country.
Some participants at the summit thanked the church for convening such a forum and gave assurance that they would continue to support it and called on the leadership to ensure that adequate political mobilization was carried out in its churches across the country.
In a remark, Gombe State Deputy Governor, Dr. Manasseh, thanked the ECWA leadership for organizing the program and said that it was coming at the right time and in the right direction.
He called on the Church to unite and work with other denominations to succeed, adding that politics had now become a key determinants of the progress of the country as a whole.
The event was coming at a time when the 2023 general elections where drawing near and preparations hit top gear.
The one-day sensitization summit was organized for ECWA members who are politicians to prepare them for good governance in the various positions they are aspiring for.
The programme, which was held at the ECWA Wuse2 brought together members who are politicians and some top political appointees, aspirants on different political platforms in the country and captains of industries, among others.