Why church should be involved in politics — Ekweremadu

A former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has described the indifference of churches and devout Christians toward politics as self-exclusion from nation-building.

He said the active involvement of church in politics would foster development, national identity and create stability in society.

Ekweremadu stated this in a paper titled ‘The Role of the Church and Politician in Politics and Democratic Nation-Building’, which he delivered at the Standing Committee forum of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Church), which held at the All Saints Cathedral, Onitsha, Anambra State on Thursday.

The senator, who was represented by a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Professor Offornze Amucheazi, equally enjoined Christians in politics to be exemplary and lead by biblical principles.

“Oftentimes, you hear Christians say that the church should not be involved in politics. That, by extension, is self-exclusion in the task of nation-building,” Ekweremadu was quoted as saying in a statement by his media aide Uche Anichukwu.

He said: “It is important that the church does not remain aloof, but should play a decisive role in the task of nation-building. In doing so, she helps to foster development, national identity, and create stability in society.

“It is this lack of national identity and instability that has brought our country to where it is today. It is the lack of national identity that has fostered the divisiveness in our country and created the insecurity which we now experience.”

Ekweremadu said the church could participate in politics and nation-building without being partisan by engaging in political education, mass mobilisation for political participation, encouraging obedience to constituted authorities and rule of law, counselling and nurturing of political leaders, capacity building and peer review opportunities for leaders, and acting as watchdog of the polity by calling out leaders, when they fail, but encouraging them where they have done well.