By EDDY OCHIGBO, Kaduna –
As the build-up to the 2023 general elections gathers momentum, some clergymen have appealed to members of their congregation without Permanent Voter Cards (PVC), to as matter of urgency get registered before the extended closing date of June 30, 2022, as failure to do so, could attract sanctions from church leadership.
In the forefront of the renewed move to encourage potential voters perform their civic responsibility of voting in forthcoming general elections, is the Pastor in-charge of Rhema Baptist Church, Sabo Tasha Kaduna, Chatwason Nathan, who made it known that members of his church without PVCs may soon be prevented from attending Sunday service.
According to him, bad leaders who inflict hardship on the people are brought to power when citizens fail to exercise their civic responsibility.
“You must ensure you have your PVCs because that’s the only weapon you have to vote-in credible leaders who have the interest of the downtrodden at heart”, he said.
He decried a situation where Christians are displaced from their ancestral lands and made hopeless under the watch of a government whose primary responsibility is the welfare and security of the citizenry.
“We are governed by a constitution and those in the position of power must adhere to the rule of law in order to enhance fairness and justice”.
“You must ensure you use your PVC as your only instrument to eject evil leaders who have brought shame, tears and agony upon our land”, he said.
The pastor asked the mission committee in the church to identify any IDP camp around so that the Church can assist them with relief materials to alleviate their suffering.
In a similar development, Senior Pastor of Mountain Top Evangel Church, Ungwar Maigero, Narayi Kaduna, Mr Kachalla Malgwi, has stressed the need for citizens to be part of the recruitment process of the nation’s leaders, explaining that without the permanent voters card, such civic duty was practically impossible.
“Don’t sit there arms folded, groaning and lampooning the government, without a voter’s card. Your PVC is a potent political weapon for you to make an informed and credible choice of result-oriented leaders who are imbued with the ability and capacity to move the country forward”, Pastor Malgwi maintained.
