By Bello Shehu Shuni
As the 2023 general elections loom, the pulpit managers have been urged to organize themselves when they stand on their podium, to preach orderliness and peace towards a credible polls. The country, Nigeria, is under tension of insecurity, ethnicity, herdsmen clashes and kidnapping.
They should use the language that brings peace and good harmony to the co-existence of this country, they should not use the political season to add more injury to the Frankenstein monster that is debilitating across the country.
The pulpit managers should preach according to the sources of their religion and shouldn’t allow themselves to be used by unscrupulous politicians in order to create problem that will lead us to another civil war.
The Northern and Southern pulpits should preach without bias in their day to day sermon.
Starting from the Governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun where many candidates are already set for battle over who pick various party tickets. The front runners in Ekiti whose election is schedule for July 22, are already mobilising the people and selling their programmes of action when they become Governor.
The Pulpit Managers must at all times from now henceforth enlighten their members how to behave during this political season in order to balance their preaching without promoting religious segregation.
Nigerian politicians also should maintain decorum as the nation approaches the 2023 general election.
Politicians must be aware that election is not about violence, but about bringing development and making life better for citizens. They should promote peaceful coexistence amongst Nigerians, just as religious leaders must preach tolerance, unity and peace, and not to misinform their congregations at any level.
Pulpit managers must disciple their congregation to care about the common good. In our representative democracy, christians and moslems can bless their neighbors by voting for what’s good and for leaders, who will promote good Governance, rule of law and equitable provision of amenities. Every community has different needs, and how its citizens vote will reflect those different needs.
Pulpit managers can also advise their congregants to vote for progressives, tested and reliable candidates devoid of religious, ethnic and cultural sentiments.
In party democracy all over the world, pulpit managers, who endorse a specific candidate must count the cost of such endorsement, of course, there may be times when a pulpit manager would exhort the congregation to vote for or against a specific Governorship or Presidential candidate.
For any pulpit manager troubled by how members of his church may vote in elections, instead of using your pulpit to publicly endorse a candidate, perhaps it would be better to patiently disciple your congregation towards choosing honest, matured, truthful and God fearing candidates.
Pulpit managers, whatever you do this election season, let’s strive to unite the congregation around peaceful Co-existence, love for each other and tolerance.
