Men of God under Akwa Ibom Christian Assembly (ACA) got more than they bargained for as they lined up in their numbers to anoint a governorship candidate for the March 2 general elections.
The men of God- Bishop Moswill Umoh and Pastor Umo Eno- appeared on Inspiration 105.9 FM, Uyo on Wednesday and declared the ACA’s stand for the re-election of Udom Emmanuel, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate.
Ideally, members of the congregation are not expected to argue or disagree on any sermon with the preachers when they stand on the pulpit but to swallow it hook, line and sinker and then put “Amen.”
Viewing that the men of God used a radio station not a pulpit, the congregation argued and rejected the “sermon,”calling the preachers unprintable names.
Recall that Fathers of Faith in the state had gathered last year in Le Meridien Hotels and Golf Resort, Uyo and ‘anointed’ Governor Emmanuel for a second term in the office.
Later in 2018, the fathers of faith under the auspices of Akwa Ibom Christian Assembly (ACA) rented an office in Ewet Housing Estate, Uyo and the governor inaugurated the assembly pioneered by Arc. Bishop Cletus Bassey.
As soon as the moderator opened telephone lines, callers bombarded the airwaves with tantrums and unleashed verbal assaults on the men of God over their comments. Some callers saw the action of men of God as “partiality and selfishness.”
A caller drew attention of Bishop Umoh to the insecurity infraction that enveloped most villages in Ukanafun local government area under the present administration and queried the man of God why he did not advise the governor to wade in earlier to quell the cult war that plunged the area into theatre of killings, rapes and kidnappings.
Another caller drew the attention of the assembly speakers to the boundary crisis that erupted between the people of Ikot Offiong in Odukpani local government area of Cross River State and Oku Iboku in Akwa Ibom State in which scores were slaughtered without the men of God condemning and prevailing on the state government to resettle the victims.
One caller vented anger on the men of God that it was disappointing and a shame for them to adopt a particular candidate in a plethora of other candidates from Akwa Ibom.
One queried if they were really men of God “otherwise they would not have dabbled into politics as Jesus Christ was not a politician, a role model for Christians talkless of them contemplating to adopt a particular person.”
The men of God struggled to wriggle themselves from the web of criticisms and verbal attacks heaped on them by the angry callers.
Bishop Umoh’s stand that the Biblical Joseph was a politican was repulsed by some callers and dismissed as flimsy a reason that should not be adduced in adopting a particular candidate.
Even the moderator asked one of the assembly speakers if they were induced to support the candidature of Governor Emmanuel and Umoh said ‘’no,’’ saying they throw their support for governor was borne out of their personal volition and as a matter of ‘’choice.’’
At a stage, Pastor Eno had to chew his words and said they were not imposing the ‘anointed’candidate on the populace but that their position was personal to them.
Even then, their argument did not go down well with the callers as some queried if they would be bold to stand on their pulpit to tell their congregation to vote for a particular governorship candidate.
Asking if their position in adopting a particular candidate was in tandem with Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the men of God said that CAN is a father and is neutral in that the body has not adopted but has embraced all the candidates.
