Yemi Adedeji, Abuja
MIKE Okonkwo, the Presiding Bishop of The Redeemed Christian Evangelical Mission, says he is not an advocate of 2023 presidency for the South East region, describing it as a wrong fight.
He said while it is true that the Igbo nation has been marginalised, he said Igbo should rather shut their doors and develop South-East.
Okonkwo disclosed this in an interview with journalists on Sunday in Abuja at the end of the 2018 Leading Edge Conference, with the theme; “Seated in the Heaven lies.”
He stated: “We are fighting for the wrong thing, let’s develop South-east. This nation needs restructuring. The reason everyone is jostling for presidency is because of the juicy largesse that comes from there, let every person goes to his own region and develop, make the centre less attractive, unbundle this centre, if you have something to offer, go to your area and get it done.
“For me, I am not an advocate of Igbo must be president. No doubt Igbos have been marginalised, I’m not speaking out oif that, my point is like us use that as a bait as if we are doing Igbo a favour.”
The Bishop also revealed that he was not surprised by the recent turbulence that hit the political space of the country, saying that Nigerians should expect more defections from politicians ahead of the 2019 general elections.
He said he felt insulted by the recent game of defections by politicians, but still insisted that God is up to something about the country.
Asked if surprised about manner of turbulence in in the country’s political space, he said: “No, we will still see more, I’m not surprised, I still believe that before the election, if there will be any that we will still see more of nonsense going on in the polity.
” For me, I feel abused, i feel insulted by the politicians, i feel that they are raping Nigerians. You move from this party to the other, then tomorrow you move again, the same people recycling the same people and you are rubbing it on the face of Nigerians, I feel insulted as far as I’m concerned and I believe that through it all God is up to something concerning this country.”
Okonkwo noted that politics in Nigeria is a shark invested water, while lamenting that immediately christian leaders/politicians get into power they disengage from the church.
“We in the Pentecostal circles and most of the church leader have interrogated this issue and we have been be concerned.
“There is now a strategic and intentional plan that we will begin now to train our christian leaders who fill called for a public services to let them know that when you are going there, carry your God into that place.
“Others may do things that are wrong, you cannot because you represent God. This stream is ongoing now, and we belief God that as we progress for some years we will begin to see the kind of fruits that we desired,” he said.
Bearing his mind on the security situation in the country, the presiding Bishop said with the level of corruption in the country that there might be element within the military that want the insecurity situation to drag on so that they can have more security votes.