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By Ebube Egbufor
Lead Pastor of Gateway International Church, Pastor George Izunwa says he would never support a Muslim/Muslim ticket as adopted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu for the 2023 presidential election.
Pastor Izunwa who stated that he has no ill feelings against any Muslim noted that no well meaning and selfless Nigerian will subscribe to a one-faith leadership, as Nigeria is divided equally between Muslims and Christians.
In an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, the cleric said those who support a Muslim/Muslim ticket do not love the unity of Nigeria but are only concerned with being in any party that is in government, while on the other hand those who want to carry everybody along will frown at it.
His words, “I don’t hate Muslims, I have friends who are Muslims and who are committed to their religion, and I value them for who they are, but they also love Nigeria. I don’t know any human being who loves Nigeria, who is not selfish, who wants a Muslim/Muslim ticket.
“The people who are going for it are those who don’t have any care for their country, they just want to be in a party that is in government and loot what they can and move on but people who want unity of this country and want to carry everybody along will say this is a bad thing.
“Nigeria is divided equally between Muslims and Christians. You spite about 50% of the population and you are asking us to vote for you, the question is: Are there no Christians in the North who they can use? So the people have insulted us, spited us and I don’t care who they are, we will never stand by their ticket”.
Speaking on the 2023 election, Pastor Izunwa said due to mismanagement by the present administration, Nigerians have been traumatized, especially given that the administration came in with a lot of promises but delivered very little.
He said it would take somebody committed to the good of Nigeria to make things right, citing the bad economy, insecurity, poor infrastructure and poor education system as examples of bad governance.
Stressing that Nigeria needs someone who is not after his own pocket, or his tribe, to come out of the predicament it is in, the man of God said, “I don’t believe that a tribal-minded politician should win rather I believe that a Nigerian politician should win, and I believe that somebody who has the energy of youth and strength to pull this country forward should be at the forefront of leadership.
“So what I will say to Nigerians is to vote according to your heart, your passion. Trust God to make Nigeria better by your vote. Whether your candidate wins or not, do something that you can live with, something that your conscience can accept,” he said.
The cleric said his prayers are that the government would be able to deliver free and fair elections come 2023.
Pastor Izunwa also used the opportunity to appeal to good-spirited Nigerians to “stretch out a hand of help to our brothers and sisters affected by the recent flooding incidents, as many of them are suffering and in dire need of help,” adding that Gateway Church is doing their best to reach out to those they could.
He decried successive governments for allowing the situation get to the present stage while tasking the federal and state governments to wake up to their responsibility and device means to cushion the effect of the sufferings of the people.
