ERCC President Charges INEC, Politicians On Transparent Political Process

As the political atmosphere in Nigeria is getting frenzied, what with the different political parties engaging in primary elections to pick their respective flag bearers for the various elective positions, the President of Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ (ERCC), Very Rev Dave Denji D. has enjoined the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the politicians to ensure transparency in the conduct of their various activities.

According to the timetable released by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Presidential and National Assembly elections have been slated for February 25, 2023 while governorship and state assembly elections will be held on March 11, 2023.

It was in order to meet the deadline for the submission of ticket-bearers of the parties that in the past two weeks, the various political parties held their conventions to pick those to stand for the elections on their platforms.

After the submission of the flagbearers, the political activities will focus on campaigns toward the election next year.

It is against this backdrop that the President of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ (ERCC), which headquarters is located in Alushi, near Akwanga, stated the position of the church with regard to the political activities.

According to Very Rev Denji, the various political parties should abide by the rules of the game, even as he charged the Electoral body charged in conducting the elections to be transparent, fair and God-fearing in all their dealings.

He stated that ERCC, as a church, does not belong to or has not adopted any political party, stating that members of the church, in the expression of their democratic rights, belong to different political parties.

He said: “On the issue of politics, we have felt as a church that we have to make a statement that the church will always back whatever is just, whatever is true, whatever is transparent, whatever is fair. And so, in the process of the primaries and in the subsequent elections coming next year, we expect that there should be truth, there should be fairness, there should be justice. And when that is done to all, we believe that we will have leaders who are chosen by the people themselves and will be relied upon by the people. And the leaders will be responsible for caring for the people.”

The President made the statement on Sunday June 5, 2022 at the retirement service of two of its Ministers, Very Rev Di-David Oggah and Rev Audu A. Shagasha, which held at ERCC, LCC Solid Rock, Nassarawa Eggon.

On the retirement, the ERCC President wished the retired clerics well in the next phase of their lives, urging them to take the time to make their ways right with God and pray for the church and the nation.

He called on members of their family to make the welfare of the retirees a priority just as he assured that ERCC as a church has prepared adequately to pay pensions of their retired clerics. He said the era where they are owed and left to live in penury is now in the past.

Both Very Rev Di-David Oggah and Rev Audu A. Shagasha when the spoke to Eggonnews, were full of joy and gratitude to God for sparing their lives to see the end of their active service to the church.

They challenged ministers who are still serving to do so to the best of their ability as God will reward them abundantly.