Rt. Rev’d Prof. Israel Kelue Okoye, Bishop of the Diocese of Ihiala, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), has urged registered voters, candidates and political parties participating in the Anambra State governorship election not to turn their Permanent Voter Cards into commodities for the highest bidder.
Okoye warned the electorate to be mindful of the repercussions of such actions, noting that no sensible person can afford to “supervise his own liquidation.”
The cleric stated this in his presentation during the Third session of the fifth Synod of the diocese held at the St. Stephen’s Diocesan Church Centre, Ihiala, Anambra State on Saturday.
Okoye spoke on other national issues including the defection of state governors, members of state and national assemblies, and local government legislative and executive officials from one political party to another, describing it as a slap on the citizens who elected them.
“The preparations for the election of the governor of Anambra State on November 8, 2025 are on course. Electioneering period provides an enlightened basis for ascertaining the candidates that are better equipped to advance the course of development in the interest of the citizens,” he said.
“Unfortunately, it has been observed that the strategy of populating campaign venues with a rented crowd, preparatory to paying for their votes is rife. Desperate politicians and their allies exploit the widespread unemployment and hunger in the land to turn vulnerable members of the electorate into political objects that are purchased, deployed for a defined purpose, and dispensed with after an election. That inhuman practice, masqueraded as electioneering politics in the Nigerian political culture is, in fact, a deliberate dehumanisation of vulnerable citizens.
“People who vote for candidates because they have been paid a paltry sum, sometimes as low as N2,000 or less have been turned into political toys. To such people, they do not sincerely care if their votes count or not.
“We urge all the electoral candidates to be issue-based in their electioneering campaigns. All those singing hypocritical heroic songs in favour of individuals seeking electoral support do so at the expense of the wellbeing of the people on their palms subvert the future of the populace.
“We, therefore, urge all the electoral candidates, their political allies, and those that have turned either their voters’ cards or public offices into commodities for the highest bidder to be mindful of the repercussions of their debased actions. No sensible person can afford to supervise his own liquidation.
“November 8, 2025 is the date for the choice of the tomorrow we yearn for in Anambra State. We have the option of going for the best at our disposal, based on our national assessment, or we go for contraction with woes. God forbid that we shall allow whatever pittances that characterise electoral campaigns to rob us of a brighter future.”
Speaking further, he lamented that Nigerians are being taking for granted by politicians that have supposedly received their votes to serve in government on the platform of clearly defined political parties who are now selfishly transferring the mandates they received from the electorate to other political parties where, they believe, their self-regarding interests will be assured.
“We have witnessed with utter dismay, the defection of state governors, members of state and national assemblies, and local government legislative and executive officials from one political party to another. The reasons they have consistently articulated to rationalise their self-serving political adventure are basically insulting to the Nigerian electorate.
“The issue of aligning with the political party that produced the president in order to benefit from the Federal Government makes nonsense of our multi-party system and principles that are expected to differentiate a political party from another.
“Nigerians must rise in defence of their today and future being toyed with by parasitic politicians. It may be utopian to expect parasitic politicians to desist from sucking the blood of unsuspecting Nigerians. Until Nigerians are ready to extricate themselves from chauvinistic postures and alignment with politicians that offer them pittances in order to subject them to socio-economic and political bondage, there cannot be any meaningful transformation in the country.
“It is pertinent to note that any political party that is celebrating frequent reception of politicians that have decamped from rival political parties is unwittingly laying the fragile foundation for its own political tornado. In that way, the cycle of political instability and failure of governance will continue. This is not sustainable,” he added.
The cleric also frowned at the continuous closure of universities in the country, calling on the Federal Government and ASUU to engage on further negotiations geared toward ensuring quality education in the universities, warning that prolonged strike will do more harm to the university system.
“The trend of strike in Nigeria indicate that once a major labour union goes on strike, others on the fence follow suit. The implication is that soon, ASUU will not be the only labour union on the neck of the federal government, insisting that either old agreements should be honoured or that fresh matters should be negotiated. While that is going on, the systems intended to be improved upon degrades further.”
