Same Faith Ticket will Jeopardise Peaceful Co-existence, PFN Insists

Mary Nnah

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has reaffirmed its position that a same-faith ticket would not be in the interest of Nigeria, insisting that it could further jeopardise the prospects of peaceful co-existence and building of a united Nigeria.

Speaking immediately after an extraordinary joint meeting of its National Advisory Council (NAC) and the National Executive Council (NEC) held in Lagos, the National Secretary, PFN, Bishop Cosmos Ilechukwu said despite his body’s advice to the political parties that same faith ticket, be it Christian-Christian or Muslim-Muslim, would not augur well for the unity and future of Nigeria, some political parties chose to ignore that counsel.

However, Ilechukwu stressed further that PFN in consonance with its constitution and governance framework has always been non-partisan, adding that it has never been in the business of endorsing and would not be doing so in the 2023 elections candidates.

PFN reiterated further its willingness to continue to mobilise the church to ensure full participation in the political process by all Christians while encouraging its members to vote in line with what was best for Nigeria and the Church at all levels, with the framework prepared by the Christian Association of Nigeria as a guide.

“The PFN will continue to engage and collaborate with like-minded organisations and individuals to ensure that the 2023 elections deliver to Nigerians and Nigeria a ticket that will further the unity of the country in line with the expectations and prayers of Nigerians,” Ilechukwu noted.

He stated further that the group would continue to be open-minded and broad-minded, leaving the door of engagement with all political parties open, so that all the issues that are holding back the development and unity of Nigeria can be comprehensively addressed.

Speaking further he noted: “The PFN resolves to continue to uphold Nigeria and the leadership of the country in prayer, given the grave economic situation of the country, which has further compounded the increasingly worrisome state of security in the country, with terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other heinous crimes on the rise.

“The PFN notes that even in the face of the unprecedented level of disunity in the country, some of the political parties and politicians have acted in disregard of the fragility of the times we live in, made worse by the poor management of our fault lines, thus further polarising the country,” he said further.