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From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Leadership of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has appealed to Nigerians to accept the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) on the outcome of the February 25, 2023 presidential poll in the country in good faith.
The five-member PEPC, under the leadership of Justice Haruna Tsammani, has reserved judgment in the petitions filed by the presidential candidates of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared President Bola Tinubu of All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the poll, while Atiku and Obi came second and third respectively.
National President of PFN, Bishop Wale Oke, made the appeal at a press conference addressed with the support of other leaders of the spiritual body at the end of the fellowship’s three-day National Executive Retreat 2023, with the theme: ‘Going from Strength to Strength’, drawn from Psalm 84:7, held at Waniq Event Centre, Jericho, Ibadan.
Oke, who is the President, Sword of the Spirit Ministries, also told Tinubu and his cabinet that Nigerians were in pains, adding that the administration must do everything possible to ease off the menace, irrespective of religious, tribal, and political affiliations.
He said: “Nigeria has just done a general election that almost break the nation into pieces. It was a keenly fought election. The results of the election is before the tribunal now. So, we do not want to comment much on it. So, let the tribunal finish their work, and render their verdict to the nation. We are praying that God will guide them in their verdict.
“We want to enjoin all Nigerians to please accept the verdict of the tribunal, and let us move on with the rebuilding of our nation. We should come together in unity and let the healing begin because the politics of the past few months inflicted much wounds on the various sectors of our nation.
“We cannot be doing politicking forever, and we should learn a lesson from Sudan. 30 years ago, Sudan had an election that led to war. The war went on and led to splitting of the nation. In Sudan, they are still fighting till today. We cannot afford war in Nigeria.”
We don’t want war in Nigeria. So, when the tribunal renders their verdict, let everybody bury their hatchets and join hands together to build Nigeria. If you do that, there will be a situation that another election will come. Then, the people that lost now, can be the winners tomorrow, if there is a nation.”
The PFN President also spoke on Tinubu’s assignment of portfolios to ministers on Wednesday saying “ We want to enjoin the president, and his team that will form his cabinet, we have a counsel for you, Nigerians are in pains. The last eight years of the nation has been very traumatic to Nigerians. There have been kidnapping, banditry, clashes between farmers and herdsmen and so on. There have been all manners of evil, plus very terrible corruption. Then, we have economic woes … Nigerians are battling with so much. Mr. President and the ministers, please, relieve Nigerians of their pains, don’t add to it.”
Oke also had words for Nigerians, assuring them that “better days are ahead. God is still on the throne, don’t give up. There is hope for our future. The fact that we are alive means there is hope. Let us stay together as one nation. The fact that we are not in the state of active war, means there is hope. So, let us join our hands together and heal our nation. Let us agree and move forward. If there is a nation, a future lies ahead of us. Election will come and go; those who lost yesterday, can win tomorrow.”
Present at the press conference were National Secretary of PFN, Dr. Cosmas Ilechukwu; chairman of PFN in Bayelsa State, Bishop Prosper Ayawei, and his counterpart from Oyo State, Rev’d Samson Ajetomobi; and Director of PFN in the Diaspora and Humanitarian Matters, Bishop Goddy Okafor.
