THE Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has said it did not create its new directorate of politics and governance to support the ambition of any individual in 2023.
RCCG had, in a memo addressed to all its provinces and regions, said it had created the directorate of politics and governance to support its members interested in going into politics.
The move had given rise to speculations that the church was trying to mobilise support for the supposed presidential ambition of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo ahead of the 2023 general elections.
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Osinbajo is a pastor in the church.
However, in a statement released on Tuesday, the church’s National Officer of Administration and Personnel Johnson Fusho Odesola said the speculations were untrue.
Odesola reiterated that the new directorate was set up to help coordinate the engagement of the church’s members who are willing to be involved in politics as well as mobilise support for them.
He stressed that the church does not promote the interest of one particular political party as its members were involved in all the political parties in the country.
“Nowhere in the statement is it mentioned nor insinuated that a particular political aspirant is being referred to.
“As would be expected the Church has members that belong to several political parties, but would not itself get into partisan issues.
“The RCCG does not promote the interest of one particular political party as its members are to be found in all the political parties holding high ranking and responsible offices and have in the past gone through necessary tutelage on how to conduct themselves in public office,” the statement said.
Odesola noted that the RCCG is one of the nation’s stakeholders, adding that the work of the directorate is in direct response to the advise of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to its members on effective and efficient voter education and the discharge of their civic rights and obligations.
He explained that the church considered it necessary to respond to the growing interest of its members in politics and governance by ensuring that their standing as law abiding citizens in all spheres of life is neither compromised nor fall below the standard expected of followers of Christ.
According to the statement, the church was not doing anything new or different from some other denominations such as the Catholic Church or other religious bodies who bring their members up to date with policies, laws and regulations regarding their polity and its governance.
Odesola said that the church will continue to offer spiritual and moral support to its members through prayers, encouragement, exhortation, counselling and moral instructions as would be expected from an organisation which on record is fully conscious of its Christian social responsibility.
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