Primate of the Orthodox Anglican Church, Nigeria, Bishop Christopher Umane, has revealed that he declined an invitation to pray for one of the leading presidential candidates so as not to offend God.
While speaking to journalists on Tuesday, February 24, in Benin City, Edo State, Umane urged President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his opponent in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to stop personalising political campaigns.
“They approached me few months ago and wanted me to be part of a group praying for one of the presidential candidates, they want to corrupt the image of the church. I asked them what about my responsibility, because I have a responsibility to all of them. ”
“In other words, in my church, I cannot tell my members to vote for A or B, what I will say is look at what they said they want to do and we are praying that God should give us a better candidate and a better candidate will come from the things they are telling us they will do.”
“I will pray that God should give the better one. If you are campaigning, give us the best manifesto, don’t say you are going to do this or that and you are not going to tell me where the money is going to come from, there are so many things they are taking for granted.”
“It is when they are bereft of ideas that they begin to personalize campaigns, they have nothing to offer us that is why they are going emotional, attacking themselves instead of issues. Somebody who wants people’s votes should be able to say I will do this and that for you and the people will have a reason to vote for you or not. They should leave name calling – this one was a thief, this one is a thief, then I ask, who has not been a thief?”
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