Cosmas Ilechukwu, the General Overseer of Charismatic Renewal Ministries (CRM), on Sunday, urged church leaders not to get involved in partisan politics.

Mr Ilechukwu gave the advice at this year’s edition of special service and prayers for Nigeria and political leaders organised in Abuja.

The clergyman said that though every Christian must get involved in politics, the church, in itself, should not be partisan.

“The saying that politics is a dirty game and Christians should not be involved is not a policy of the church.

“It is a body language that has lasted for a long time. It is not a statement policy by any church. However, that body language has to change,” he said.

He, however, said Christian leaders could make statements and give criteria to guide church members on who they could choose as candidates.

Mr Ilechukwu, who urged Nigerians to clean up their permanent voters’ cards (PVCs) and make the right choice in the 2023 general elections, said the electorate should vote for a candidate who is peace-loving.

“Our president should not be a warmonger but a lover of people; a peaceful man. He should be a president who is not greedy, who is not going to take our commonwealth as his own.

“He must be somebody who envisages good governance based on the instruction from God.

Our next president should be somebody who fears God,” he said.

According to him, God wants the next president to keep his mind on the law of God.

“The law is above everybody, including the president, and anybody who goes against the law should face the wrath of the law.

“We should vote for people who will submit themselves to the rule of law,” he said.

He, however, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the polls as honestly and transparently as possible.

He advised that the new technology, which is captured in the Electoral Act 2022, should not be discarded by INEC in the conduct of the elections.

(NAN)