By Sunday Ani
The Pentecostal fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has condemned the growing call for an Interim National Government (ING), stressing that any attempt to do that would lead to anarchy in the country.
Addressing journalists after its National Executive Council (NEC) and National Advisory Council (NAC) meeting in Lagos on Thursday, the National President of PFN, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, noted that those behind the call for ING only wanted to abort the country’s democracy.
He stated that election had been conducted and winners declared, and stressed that rather than call for anarchy, those who feel aggrieved by the outcome of the election should follow the constitutionally laid down legal procedures for redress.
Bishop Oke appealed to Nigerians, all levels of government and the judiciary as well as the presumed winners and losers of the election at all levels to sheathe their anger and not burn the country down. He said: “The PFN as a body will never support any call for Interim National Government because that is an invitation to anarchy. But we want to appeal to Nigerians to bury their anger and disappointment for what happened and let the process of healing begin. Let us come together as one indivisible nation and join our hands to make sure we work together for peace, unity and harmony because it is in that atmosphere that we can make progress.
“Elections come and go because there is a nation within which to conduct election. There are people who want to rule that nation and there are people who want to choose who to rule. Let election not tear us into pieces. If we manage this season well, there will be a nation in the future where we will conduct election and there will be winners and people moving the nation. Let us not burn it down because if we do that, it is coming on our heads. If you lose election today, you stand to win tomorrow if you don’t give up. Let us be patient; let the judiciary finish its work and let the dust settle, so we can come together to promote peace, unity and progress.”
He advised winners not be arrogant in victory but remain mature, knowing that when election ends, governance begins and it is for everybody, both those who voted for and against the winner, just as he advised those who lost to be gallant in defeat knowing that tomorrow they can win if they did not give up.
“We want to appeal to those who feel cheated to go through the established legal processes and prove their case and if the umpire says this is it, let us give peace a chance. Let us come together to start the healing process. Let’s come together as one nation,” he added.
He also advised the judiciary to do the right thing bearing in mind that they are the last hope of the common man. “There are bad eggs in the judiciary but that does not make the entire judiciary bad. There are honest men with integrity in the judiciary and we believe, they will do the right thing, so that the country can move forward,” he said
He also commended Nigerians for the just concluded Easter celebration, saying it was a commemoration of the fact that Jesus died for the sins of humanity. “Whether you are a Christian, Muslim or animist, Christ died for all of us, shed His blood for all of us, was buried and rose again to give us hope,” he said.
He noted that with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is nothing that is bad or broken that God cannot fix. “There is nothing that is negative that God cannot turn around. If Jesus Christ died and power of God raised Him, then there is hope for us, for tomorrow and for Nigeria. Let us trust God and look up unto Jesus, believe Him with all our hearts and He will turn every negative thing around and give us the life we desire; and the Nigeria we desire. It is a matter of time. Let us keep praying, believing and trusting God. The future we are looking for is in the hands of God. This is the time when we should love, relate and forgive one another as God has forgiven us,” he stated.