Primate Okoh Urges Buhari To Ignore Political Defectors

The Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, the metropolitan and primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), has called on president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to stop giving attention to political defectors, describing them as people who are not to be trusted.

The archbishop made the appeal at the All Saints Anglican Cathedral, Onitsha, Anambra state, on April 26, Sunday, shortly after the consecration of three bishops.

“If I were the president–elect, I will not give attention to anybody because they are not people to be trusted; they lack credibility and are people who are destroying the country.

“They did not work for the party so why are they joining the party now,” he said.

According to Okoh, although Buhari’s administration is an incoming one, it has already set its programmes, therefore, the one who needs advice is not the new government but Nigerians. He stressed that the administration needed the cooperation of all Nigerians to make its programmes successful.

“So we ask Nigerians to please cooperate with them in our own interest, because if we cooperate, they will do good work but if we don’t, they cannot do anything.”

However, Okoh called on the incoming government to keep to its campaign promises.

“We know that no government can touch everything in the comprehensiveness of human life; it is the duty of the incoming government to study areas embodiment in their campaign promises.

“I believe it was the manifesto that enabled them to win, so they should look at it and see that they implement it.”

Addressing the newly consecrated bishops, Okoh advised them “to be shepherds and not a wolf to the flock of Christ”.

“Feed the flocks and do not devour them; seek the lost, uphold the weak, restore health to the sick, lift the down trodden, ensure discipline but forget not mercy,”he added.

The archbishop took the opportunity to thank Governor Willie Obiano for being committed to neutralising the frosty relationship between the Roman Catholic and the Anglican Churches in Anambra state.

Obiano in his turn said that this was the first time he had witnessed the consecration of bishops. He reminded them that the flock they would oversee “is everybody under your jurisdiction, not minding religious or ethnic affiliations”.

“You must not exploit the flock, but must grow the flock, be honest with them if you want them to respect and obey you and be compassionate,” the governor said.

According to PM News, the newly consecrated bishops are Moses Tabawaye as the Bishop of Gwagwalada, Johnson Ekwe as the Bishop of Niger West and Isaac Oluyamo as the Bishop of Ijesha North.

Several days back the Rt Reverend Emmanuel Adekunle, the Diocesan bishop of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Diocese of Egba, also warned the president-elect to be careful of the defectors. He begged Buhari not to allow those defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress to pollute his administration.