"Don't give defecting politicians positions in your government" - Anglican Archbishop warns Buhari

Archbishop Metropolitan and Primate of Anglican Church of Nigeria, Nicholas Okoh, yesterday, called on President- elect, Muhammadu Buhari not to give any politician who has defected from any party to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), a position in his government.

Most Revd Okoh described the defecting politicians as lacking in credibility.

He said, ,“If I were the President-elect, I will not give them anything because they are not people to be trusted. They lack credibility, they are people who are destroying the country, and they did not work for the party so why are they joining the party now.”

Archibishop Okoh, said this at the All Saints Cathedral, Onitsha, Anambra State, shortly after the consecration of three Bishops.

“The administration is a new one, it has set its programmes and the person who needs advice is not the new government but Nigerians. They need the cooperation of Nigerians to make their programmes succeed, 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, ” he said.

The Anglican primate urged the incoming government to ensure it kept to its campaign promises, stressing, “We know no government can touch everything in the comprehensiveness of human life, so they cannot do everything, it is the duty of the incoming government to study those areas, particularly the embodiment of their campaign promises. I believe it was the manifesto that enabled them win, so they should look at it and see that they implement it.”

Vanguard reports that Archbishop Okoh, while consecrating the three Bishops, told them to “be shepherd and not a wolf to the flock of Christ, feed them 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, be so merciful and be not too remiss.”

He thanked the governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, for hosting and accommodating them, adding that the governor was committed to neutralizing the relationship between the Roman Catholics and the Anglicans Church in Anambra State.

Governor Willie Obiano, on the occasion, expressed happiness for attending the occasion, saying it was the first time he was witnessing the consecration of three bishops at the same time. “You must not exploit the but grow the flock; you must be honest with them if you want them to respect and obey you and above all be compassionate with them,” he said .