Archbishop emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan has advised Nigerians to vote for only candidates that would rule with the fear of God in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
Onaiyekan made the call in his Sunday Homily on the Solemnity of Christ the King, at the Catholic Church of Assumption, in Abuja.
He urged the populace to also use their power to decide better by voting wisely for candidates who have the fear of God and the people’s interest at heart.
”Don’t vote for anybody who is not likely to rule under God for the service of the people.
“As we are celebrating Christ the King today in the heat of the election campaigns looking forward to Feb. 23, when Nigerians will be asked to express their minds about which they want to be their president as well as other political offices, we cannot but think about what Jesus as King means to us.
“It boils down to this that the only King is the Lord God Himself and Jesus is our visible human face of the Almighty God.
“Any body who wants to be a king in the world of today anytime must first of all be ready to submit himself to the Supreme Majesty of the Almighty God.”
He added that those aspiring to rule must follow the examples of Jesus who served and died for His people.
“Secondly, like Jesus you must be ready to serve the people and even ready to die for their sake.
“Now, so many people are aspiring to be our president, governors among others.
“All those who are aspiring to office in our country, today they should be told in no unclear terms, if you are not ready to serve under God, if you are not ready to serve your people.
‘If you are only interested in pumping up your ego and making money by the misuse of power, don’t get anywhere near this elections,” Onaiyekan said.
Onaiyekan further explained the solemnity of Christ the King, which he said was celebrated every year by the Catholic Church.
“Here we are again this year as it is our custom in the Catholic Church, the last Sunday in our Liturgical Year which is today.
“We don’t only remember the end of the year and the end of our lives, and the end of humanity’s existence but also we remember the Heavenly and Universal Kinship of Jesus.
“This is because He is the one who will take charge at the end of time and as it is and already now, He is reigning supreme in Heaven.
“In our Catholic Church, we have so many of these celebrations and each of them has a very strong spiritual meaning but also with practical implications for our daily lives,”he explained.