Anambra election must hold: Rev. Okoye

Most Rev. Jonas Benson Okoye, the Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Awka said on Saturday that the Nov. 6 governorship election in Anambra must hold.

He said he took the position because the alternative was to have a Constitutional crisis in the state.

“Many are trying to frustrate preparations for the election; this is a sign that if we don’t vote, they will destroy us and our faith.

“We can’t get justice or freedom by sitting at home; the only thing to do to save the situation is to come out next Saturday with your Permanent Voter Cards to vote for the right candidate,’’ he said.

Okoye made his views known when he spoke at the funeral Mass for Chief Julius Odinigwe, a staunch member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church Enugu-Ukwu in Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.

He called on eligible members of the church and the people of Anambra to go out and cast their votes on Election Day.

The bishop said his message to further awaken the people on the need to ensure the governorship election held became necessary to avert the Constitutional crisis that could follow the disruption of the exercise.

He admonished voters to choose a candidate that would save the people and not entertain fears to cast their votes.

Okoye, described late Odinigwe as a man who spent his life expanding the Christian faith.

He empathised with his family and prayed to God for the eternal repose of his soul.

In the Requiem Mass sermon, Rev. Fr. Chidi Ozumba from SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church Nise, Anambra, reminded the congregation of the inevitability of death for all mortals and tasked every individual to renew their relationship with God.

Odinigwe who died at the age of 81 years was a retired civil servant, a devout Catholic and a major contributor to the socio-economic development of Enugu-Ukwu, his community.

He was survived by Mrs Maria Odinigwe, his widow, sons, daughters and grandchildren.