Ahead of the 2023 general election, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has called on Christians to prioritise competence over religion or ethnicity in the choice of their candidates.

The President of PFN, Bishop Wale Oke, who made the admonition in Ibadan on Sunday, urged Nigerians to decide the future with their votes.

His words: “As the President of PFN, my duty is not to tell you which party or candidate you vote or not vote for. But note that your future is in your hands as represented by the voter’s card. So don’t sell it for anything.

“We’re at a time we should not be thinking sentiment; no tribal sentiment, no religious sentiment. Let’s deal with the issues. Check the antecedents of the candidates and the party because Nigerian politics will tell you the party is supreme. So, even if there is a good candidate, standing on a very corrupt, incompetence and very terrible, useless party; the candidate will soon become corrupted.

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“So, look at the candidate and the party, then decide your future.

“Nigerians hear this prophetic cry, I Bishop Oke by the grace of God, National President of PFN, I’m telling you your future is in your hands. With your cards, don’t vote sentiment. Look at anybody that is putting up himself and ask: is he a deliverer – that will deliver us from all this mess. Two, he is a restorer? That will restore Nigeria to the old glory. Is he a builder or devourer?

“Young people, don’t be carried away by sentiment. If we continued with the way we used to vote, we will continue to go in a vicious circle. Nigerians your future is in your hands. Don’t sell your future. Nigerians deliver yourself. We must deliver ourselves from religious, tribal dominations.

“The Lord will give us grace.”

Bishop Oke said what Nigerians need is a deliverer.

According to him, “If a Muslim can solve Nigeria’s problem, I will vote for him so far he will treat Muslims and Christians as equal stakeholders in Nigeria, and he will not favour one religion above another.

“For me, if a Hausa man emerges, okay, if it is Fulani man, good. If it is Igbo, Kanuri, Edo, Ibibio, or Yoruba man, okay, provided he stands for justice, equity, fairness, and one Nigeria. He must also be a man that can deal with the problem of Nigeria decisively.

“Vote for whoever has the capacity to turn around Nigeria, use your votes to change the fortune of the nation to give Nigerians the nation we want

“Let’s decide and go beyond religion sentiment, ethnicity, and party so that Nigeria can get to its destination.

“Nigeria shall be beautiful and great, let us all cooperate with God so that we can get to the promised land.”

The Star