INEC impartiality key to Nigeria's survival in 2027, says PFN President

The integrity of Nigeria's democracy hinges on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) maintaining impartiality in the lead-up to the 2027 general elections, warned Bishop Wale Oke, National President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).

Speaking at the Agape Christian Ministries convention in Akure, Ondo State, Bishop Oke emphasized that INEC, as a government functionary, must regulate political parties and conduct elections without partisanship. "We are demanding that for the exercise of our civil rights, INEC does not partake in partisan politics. The integrity of Nigeria’s democracy hangs in the balance," he stated.

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We are demanding that for the exercise of our civil rights, INEC does not partake in partisan politics. The integrity of Nigeria’s democracy hangs in the balance.

Furthermore, Bishop Oke called on the Federal Government to decisively confront religious extremists aiming to transform Nigeria into a caliphate. He condemned violence and kidnapping perpetrated in the name of religion as criminal and satanic, regardless of the perpetrator's faith. "If anybody is doing that in the name of religion, he is a criminal, whether he is from the Christian side or from the Islamic side," he asserted, urging the Muslim community to identify and hand over radicals to law enforcement.

Addressing political conduct, the PFN President advised politicians against exploiting ethnic and religious sentiments. He advocated for competence-based leadership and religious balance, suggesting that if the presidential candidate is Muslim, the vice-presidential candidate should be Christian, and vice versa, to represent Nigeria's secular nature and ensure equitable representation.

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If anybody is doing that in the name of religion, he is a criminal, whether he is from the Christian side or from the Islamic side.