By Danjuma Auta
The Gombe State Governor, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya Abubakar, has said that the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) was strategically formed with a vision that has continued to touch the lives of Nigerians.
He disclosed that ECWA had brought development, social transformation and growth to the state.
He made this known while addressing youth at the ECWA Youth Fellowship International conference held in Kaltungo, Gombe State.
The governor, who led his entire cabinet and members of the state and national assembly to the conference, stressed the need for people to forget their differences and embrace values that would bring development and growth to the state and nation at large.
He said that Gombe State had developed tremendously because of the activities of the early missionaries who brought the gospel of Christ to the area, adding that the missionaries did not only concentrate on bringing education but also engaged in community and rural development.
Speaking on the state of the nation, Governor Abubakar enjoined the youth to vote for credibility in the forth coming elections.
The former speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, who represented Atiku Abubakar, the presidential flag bearer of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP), urged Christians to vote for Atiku as he was the only candidate that would guarantee freedom of religion and all-inclusive government.
He stated that he stated that, time had come for Nigerians to reject people bent on dividing the country along religious and tribal lines through same faith ticket.
Also in a remark, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, thanked Nigerian Youth for standing by him irrespective of their political affiliations and called on them not to give up as he was determined to restore Nigeria back to its glorious past if elected.
Represented by the governorship candidate of the party in Gombe State, Hon Kaftin Amuga, Obi enjoined the youth to pray for him as the forces fighting against his candidature were from every angle of the country and that only God could defend him.
He challenged the youth to continue serving as ambassadors of the political revolution that the country was about to experience.
Responding, the ECWA General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Yunusa Sabo Nmadu, thanked the guests for finding time to attend the conference and address the youth whom he described as critical stake holders of the Church.
He cautioned politicians against politics of character assassination and urged them to focus on issue-based campaigns. He reiterated ECWA’s position that as part of the bloc of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the church would not take a different stand outside CAN’s position, especially on same faith candidacy.
Prayers were offered for all the candidates.