DON'T SELL YOUR VOTES, GKS PRESIDENT TELLS NIGERIANS

President of God's Kingdom Society (GKS), The Church Of The Living God, Brother Oseghale Aighalua, has appealed to Nigerians not to sell their votes. He urged them to cast their votes for humble and God-fearing persons, who have a track record of excellence in areas they had served in the past.

Aighalua made the appeal during the church's Freedom Day celebrations to mark the birth of Jesus Christ at GKS service hall at Egbe, Lagos. He said the electorate should also refuse to be used for the rigging of elections or for maligning the political opponents of their mentors.   According to him, internal squabbles, petty jealousies and inordinate bid for power, would not help Nigeria make progress as a nation.

Aighalua, who has just returned from his three months pastoral trip to Europe, United States of America and Canada, noted that 'elections in Nigeria have been marked by turbulence by way of manipulation of voters' registers, snatching of ballot boxes, imposition of candidates, violence and so on.

'They were more like war situations rather than a peaceful way of allowing the electorate state their preferences through the ballot box.  Now, that another general election is approaching, the polity is being heated up with such issues as zoning, amendment of the constitution, the making of a credible voters' register, the shifting of the calendar for elections, threats by terrorist groups and so on.'

He warned that at no time should the people be given the impression that the elections were merely a formality, in spite of the billions of naira allocated to Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), besides the time and energy spent in planning and executing the elections.

'Evidently, Nigeria is striving for a new dawn in her political history by doing away with the foibles of the past.  Let me quickly state that though the President, Goodluck Jonathan may have been privileged to be in the saddle through fortuitous circumstances, his success lies in his exercising the fear of God and working diligently for the interest of the people of Nigeria.

'We commend the courage he has shown so far in his efforts to actualize his promises and pray God to continue to help him for his own blessings and in the interest of the long-suffering people of Nigeria. 'We appeal to all those who have the benefit of the country at heart not to involve themselves in any campaign of terror or efforts to sabotage the administration.  It is the common people that will suffer at the end of the day.'

Aighalua prayed God to help the President and his assistants as well as the INEC to conduct free and fair elections that were based on the rules of fair competition.