FEATURE ARTICLE

Fr Pat Amobi ChukwumaMonday, February 23, 2015
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2015 ELECTIONS: MARCHING TO SUCCESS

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here are 12 months in the Lunar Calendar. In other words, the world has twelve children namely January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. The most senior is January while the most junior is December. The first eight children are females while the ember months are males. Fortunately, the month of April is a fool; but she is a good fool. There are two types of fools: wise fools and unwise fools. I was born on 1st April. Indeed I consider myself a wise fool. Foolishness can be positive or negative. The Holy Bible makes it explicit that the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom (1 Cor. 1:25). The Greeks believe that it is a foolish act for God to allow his only Son to die on the Cross.

Furthermore, all these months are complete except February. Therefore, if you were born in the month of February then you are an incomplete man or woman. Am I correct? If I am wrong, prove your case in the High Court. Those born on 29 February celebrate their birthday every other year. In this year 2015 the month of February ends on 28th. Hence, there is no birthday celebration for those born on the 29th. It is a pity!

Where am heading to? I am just clearing the bush before I start cultivating. In my last article I dealt on the Theory of Postponement as it concerns the 2015 Elections. The Presidential and National Assembly elections were fixed on 14 February 2015 while the Gubernatorial and State House of Assembly elections were billed to hold on 28 February 2015. But due to certain reasons the elections were postponed till 28 March and 11 April 2015, respectively. One of the reasons is the insecurity situation in the country as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East of Nigeria. Secondly, about 34% of eligible voters have not received their Permanent Voter's Card (PVC). If the elections were allowed to hold, many Nigerians would be disenfranchised. Consequently, they would have suffered from the Cancer of Disenfranchisement. God forbid! Thirdly, the Independent National Electoral Commission had the problem of Logistics. Everything necessary for the conduct of free, fair and credible election was not ready. A hazard election is dangerous. It is better not to be done than done.

Another cogent reason why the elections were postponed hinged on the fact that the month of February is an incomplete month. Because of the insurgency in the North-East of the country, it would have been difficult to conduct elections in those areas and this would have led to inclusive elections. Since the month of February is incomplete, the elections might not have been completed. Therefore incompleteness would have given rise to inclusiveness. An inconclusive election can never be successful.

Before the end of 2014, faithful Nigerians of different religions have already begun praying for successful elections in 2015. God is the highest Electoral Officer. Without Him nothing can work. This is because if God does not watch over the city, the efforts of watchmen are in vain. Those keeping watch during the day or night must call on God's assistance. There was a story of a night watchman who was arrogant and boastful. He depended on occult powers. For him, God is not important. Every night he rubbed his body with occult powder before embarking on his duty. He was paid so highly because of his boastfulness of catching armed robbers with bare hands. One night his occult power failed him. The armed robbers attacked the factory where he was working as a guard in Enugu. He was deep asleep by then. The robbers just bundled him into an empty rice bag and tied the mouth of the bag. Those men of the underworld carried him from Enugu and dropped him beside River Niger in Onitsha. He continued sleeping inside the bag until his breath choked him. He started screening inside the bag. A fisherman came to his rescue and untied the bag of man. He jumped up and shouted, "Where am I? How did I come here? Thank you, Mr. Fisherman for rescuing me. God, you are the most powerful God!" From that day, the Church became his first home.

I am not a prophet of doom. God heard the prayers of Nigerians and caused the elections to be postponed. God does things at his own time and pace. The elections would not have been successful if done in February as scheduled. Those crying wolf for the postponement should shout for joy. The postponement is for good. Why are we always in haste? A bachelor who is making an inordinate haste to get a wife today or tomorrow, with whom was he living before now? I foresee that the postponed elections will be successful. Fortunately we are marching into the month of March. We are really marching to victory in the elections. In the Name of Jesus Christ we shall succeed. In his name we shall conquer principalities and powers that be. However, we must never relax. The Holy Scripture says, "Be calm but vigilant because your enemy the devil is prowling round like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand up to him in Faith and Prayers" (1 Pt. 5:8 - 9). My people, there is no instrument greater than prayer. The jaw cannot rest until it finishes chewing what is in the mouth. Let us not relax in our prayers for successful, peaceful, free and fair elections, come March 28 and April 11. The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) directed a 9-day prayer before the shifted elections. In fact, God came to our rescue by prompting the postponement of the elections to a better time. The Prayers continue.

The Church does not close her eyes while the polity is burning. I still recall the role of the Church after the cancellation of the 1993 free, fair and peaceful presidential election won by Chief M.K.O Abiola. Tension was high in the country which caused the then Head of State, General I.B. Babangida to step aside. He set up an interim Government headed by Chief Ernest Shonekan. Like a simple Mathematics, the late General Sani Abacha pushed the skinny Interim Government aside in a palace coup and he ascended the throne. His draconian Military junta heated the already tensed polity. Lives were lost. People ran helter-skelter for their dear lives. Moved by the Holy Spirit, the CBCN composed the Prayer for Nigeria in distress and beckoned on all Catholics to bombard the Heavens with this prayer. God answered the prayer and positive things started happening. In 1995 the CBCN in her plenary session at the Pastoral Centre in Makurdi made the following assessment: "Two years ago, at a time of great national crisis, we composed a Prayer for Nigeria in Distress and recommended that it be recited all over the country. Since then, we have been storming heaven with this and other prayers. Although the crisis hanging over the nation has not lifted, we are still surviving as a nation, thanks to the sustaining hand of God. We must not relent in our prayers that our merciful Father will continue to save us as we call on him in all our distress." I wish we should all recite the prayer once again for God's intervention at this critical time of the impending general elections.

Politics is a game. Our politicians should play the game neatly. At the end winners and losers will emerge. Losers should congratulate the winners. The winners should accommodate the losers. Tomorrow is another day. Finally, all eligible voters who have not got their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) should make effort to obtain them before March 8 this year. For God's sake, do not sell your Voter's Card. As Christians, our Baptism Card and Voter's Card will be presented before God on the Day of Judgment. Vote according to your conscience. However, good, philanthropic and God-fearing Candidates are to be voted for. In God we trust!

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