Dr Stan Nwokolo, Vice-Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) South-East zone, says Nigerian youths will speak with their permanent voter cards (PVCs) in the 2023 election.

The clergyman stated this in a keynote address at the prayer summit organised by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), South-East Youth Wing on Friday in Abakaliki.

According to him, 2023 will witness a PVC revolution and not an armed revolution and urged youths to get their voter cards in preparation for 2023.

He traced security challenges, bad governance and other forms of social maladies afflicting Nigeria to poor leadership orchestrated by past leaders.

Mr Nwokolo, represented by Dr Collins Okafor, alleged that most of the present crop of leaders had continued to recycle themselves in political leadership while killings, insecurity and untold economic hardships had remained unabated in Nigeria.

He, however, said that time had come for youths to rise and take back the country through the PVC revolution and not the weapon revolution.

He said the present state of insecurity, economic quagmire and all forms of social decadence bedevilling the Nigerian society was orchestrated by some youths who found themselves in leadership positions some 20 or 30 years ago but refused to quit the stage.

He said that unless the youths rose and took back the country, the vicious circle would continue unabated.

“If you and I do not do something about it today, when we will be 60, 70 years, these same names revolving around the corridors of leadership in Nigeria will still be the names present at the table of leadership in Nigeria.

” But, that will not be the case because our actions, our prayers will change the narratives in 2023,” Mr Nwokolo said.

Earlier, Reverend Oluchukwu Onuigwe, the Zonal Chairman of the Youth Wing, CAN, (YOWICAN), thanked the participants for coming together to seek God’s intervention for peace and security in the 2023 general elections.

He said that the summit was initiated in 2019 by the Christian body to enhance regular interface among the youth in the Christian faith, adding that the Abakaliki summit was the third in the series.

The clergyman, who spoke on the essence of the 2022 prayer summit, noted that the 2023 general elections marked another transition from one civilian administration to another hence constituting a major milestone in the country’s democratic match.

“Therefore, as Christians, we should engage in fervent prayers and anchor the entire process on God for peaceful and successful polls,” Onuigwe said.

He added that there was always an unusual release of answers when Christians gathered to pray under a corporate anointing, stressing that Nigeria needed prayers to overcome obstacles that could militate against a smooth transition in 2023.

“This year’s summit is more critical because of what is happening in our summit, we sit down to evaluate matters of regional and national interest.

“This year’s own, we are looking at the security of the South-East, we are looking at the ‘almighty’ 2023 election and the things that we need to do and the things we do not need to do.

“2023 election is an election that is very critical in the history of Nigeria, it is going to be an epoch-making event and youths are no longer the leaders of the future.

“The youths are the leaders of now, we need to take back our country.”

The cleric also warned youths to desist from illicit drug intake and urged them to shun all forms of electoral violence, and hooliganism as well as resist being used as political thugs by desperate politicians.

He called on the youth to obtain their PVCs, saying that the voter cards were the only power in their hands to enthrone a secure, peaceful and prosperous new Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Christian Nwangene, Vice Chairman of YOWICAN, in a lecture titled ‘Thuggery, Illicit Drugs Intake And Effects On The Society’, urged Christian youths to abstain from use of prohibited substances and lead a virtuous Christian life. 

(NAN)