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Don’t vote people responsible for Nigeria’s calamities — Pastor Enenche
Barely 6 days to the 2023 presidential election, slated for February 25, the senior pastor of the Dunamis International Gospel Centre, DIGC, Dr. Paul Enenche has advised his congregants not to vote for candidates who brought hardship to the country.
Specifically, he asked his congregants to despise presidential candidates from the two major and most antiquated political parties but vote for the candidate of the third party that just gained prominence in the build up of the 2023 presidential election.
Bemoaning current realities in the country, particularly as it regards the inflation, unemployment, poverty rates of the country, he urged Nigerians to vote with all sense of patriotism and change their approach during the forthcoming election.
Enenche made this call during the church’s Sunday service at its headquarters, Glory Dome, during the weekend, in Abuja.
He said: “The question is, what has been the result, and input of those seeking the leadership of our Nation? There are many presidential aspirants for the forthcoming elections. But there are three major ones in the forefront.
“Two of the three are of the two big political parties- whose highest and most important achievement so far was the formation of the coalition that brought this current administration into power. One of the two actually prides himself as the one who was solely responsible for the arrival of this administration into office.
“Now, what is the result or impact of their collective input in our Nation? Inflation: Inflation rate was between 7.79% and 8.5%. Now, it is 21.83%, the highest in 26 years (since 1997); Unemployment: The unemployment rate was 8.1% in 2015. It rose to 33.3%, the highest in 13 years, and the second highest unemployment rate in the world.
“Poverty Rate: 40% of Nigerians, that is 83 million people live below the poverty line. Between 2012 and 2013, it was 33%. Value of Naira: It was 197 Naira to a Dollar before 2015. It is now more than N750 to one Dollar today. Debt profile: According to the Debt Management Office, Nigeria’s debt profile as at June 2015 was 12 Trillion Naira. As at March 31, 2022, it became 41.6 Trillion Naira.
“Borrowing: Premium Times reported that the current administration borrowed three times the combined amount borrowed by the past three governments since 1999. Insecurity. Insecurity moved from being a regional challenge to a national disaster. From majorly herdsmen/terrorist challenge to banditry, kidnapping, ritual killing, etc. on a national scale.
“Corruption: on the global corruption index, from 136 least corrupt country in 2016, to 149 in 2020. That is, Nigeria shifted into corruption by 13 positions. Snakes and monkeys eventually got involved in the corruption.
“The price of a 50kg bag of rice was between N7,000 to N10,000 in 2014, but now, it is between N48,000 to N59,000 depending on the type. The price of bread was around N250 to N300. Now, it is between N1,000 to N1,200.
“Prices of diesel/petrol: A litre of petrol was N87 naira in 2014. But now, it is N195 Naira, and in some places, above N200, to even N400. The price of a litre of diesel was N111 in 2014. But now, it is N817.86.
“The question is, do we give authority to those who gave us calamity? Do we reward with authority, those who released to us calamity? Do we give leadership to those who gave us hardship? They released to us hardship, and we released to them leadership? No!!!
“We must change our approach if we must end our reproach; we must depart from the old order if we must embrace new wonders- we must reject antiquated, anachronistic ways if we must experience exciting and progressive things.
“Aside from other challenges we have explained before now, the presidential aspirants of the two big political parties are a part of the problem the country is in at this time. They can’t be a part of the solution this time.
“We are left with the only viable, credible, reasonable, reliable option left. That is the 3rd major aspirant you know.”
He went further to call his congregants to “vote value, vote viability, credibility, authenticity, honesty, integrity, humility, simplicity.
“Be a part of the new order coming. If your vote was responsible for the situation we are in now in the last election, demonstrate your change of mind with a change of vote. Join us on Wednesday for a decisive fast for the election”, he added.
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