A female cleric, Pastor (Mrs) Helen Ohwofachor, from Warri South local government area of Delta state, has said that it is an abberation and a misnormer for a Christian man or woman to cast votes for a chief priest.
Pastor Mrs. Ohwofachor’s declaration may not be unconnected with the allegation that the All Progressives Congress APC, candidate for the March 11 governorship election in Delta, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, is an Igbe man.
There are also allegations that the APC candidate refused to kneel at the altar for prayers when he with other governorship candidates visited Anglican church in Ughelli, headquarters of Ughelli North local government area of the state.
In the view of Pastor Mrs. Ohwofachor, Christians should cast their votes for a Christian since Delta is more than 90 percent a Christian state.
Ohwofachor made the remark when members of two Christian groups, Dynamic Church Movement for Gbagi and Concerned Christian Women in Politics paid a solidarity visit to Olorogun Barrister Kenneth Gbagi, the Social Democratic Party SDP governorship candidate in the March 11 elections.
According to her, “It’s an error for you as a Christian to cast your votes for a chief priest in the March 11 governorship election.. All I’m saying is that we have suffered enough in the hands of bad leaders in Delta. We must vote for people with capacity to develop the state.
“We have voted for Peter Obi in the presidential election, now it’s our state election. We have been voting PDP for years but it has not favoured us. There are graduates everywhere but there is no job for them.
“If we have good men like Gbagi in this state, we will reach somewhere. As I’m going home today, I’m going to make calls to all youths in my area to vote for Gbagi. Our fathers are dying everyday,
they have pensions but they have no access to it.
“For the Saturday election, when PDP come with their money, collect the money and eat it. PDP has nothing to show for 24 years of leading Delta. We are now ready to work for SDP.
“Of all the people who spoke to us, Gbagi is the best in various ways. We are here because of Gbagi, we will go and vote for him.
“Gbagi has answer for every challenge in Delta state. All of us should do what we have agreed to do. We are here to say Gbagi is our governor. Whatever we have said we will do. For once, let the light shine in Delta state.
“Whatever it will take us, we are for you. The mobilisation we will do, until you get there. On Saturday we will thumbprint for Kenneth Gbagi to become governor.”
Responding, the SDP governorship candidate said in all his life there is nothing he asked God which he failed to do for him.
He told the women groups that the ruling party PDP has scattered in Delta state and is buried. Consequently, nobody is talking about PDP again.
He said: “I can assure you that by the end of Saturday I will win the election. God will give us victory on Saturday. The Anglican church has taken a position that Gbagi is the one they will vote for.
“They said they have appointed personnel that will work with us and monitor the election on Saturday. The Catholic church is also with us.
“They said this time, it is not political parties but candidates with capacity and competence they will vote for.
“God is perfecting his works.And I believe that by the end of the election on Saturday God will show his power.
“Obi didn’t give anybody money but people voted for him. I have not stolen government money before. Tell your friends, colleagues and relations to vote for SDP.
“Let us liberate Delta and ourselves. Let us remove darkness from Delta. Always shout SDP, the white horse. A vote for SDP is the solution to the problem of Delta state.”
