Fides Media Living the Faith
By Rev, Pat. Amobi Chukwuma
Are you aware that injustice died a shameful death thousands of years ago after the glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ? It was injustice that condemned Jesus and ordered the wicked soldiers to crucify him on the Cross. To add insult to mockery, he (Jesus) was crucified between two notorious thieves.
Thank God that the thief on the right realized the presence of the Messiah and the King of Justice. Hence he did not hesitate to renounce his crime and also pleaded for a seat in the Kingdom of God. Pitifully, the King of Justice looked at him and said, “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). Instantly, the thief turned into a saint and was subsequently addressed as ‘the good thief.’
Immediately Jesus, who is Justice personified, died on the Cross, there was commotion everywhere. Injustice was struck down from his throne and he died at the spot. Evil forces surrounded his remains and buried him unceremoniously. On top of his grave was inscribed: R.I.P.
What does it mean? It means ‘Rest in pieces.’ Thus whenever you see R.I.P on coffins or elsewhere, it has double meaning. It is either Rest in Peace or Rest in Pieces. The just will rest in peace while the unjust will rest in pieces. Which one awaits you at your demise? Time shall tell.
Do you know that those who rest in pieces lack everlasting peace? That is why the ghost of injustice has been hovering around the world since his shameful death and unceremonious burial centuries ago. Its constituency is the whole world. Unfortunately its abode is situated in Nigeria, the Giant of Africa. Its agents in this country are very active and have infiltrated high offices. They can be found in the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Arms of Government.
They cohabit with the President in Aso Rock and manipulate certain national issues in their favour. Many of them occupy seats in the Senate and House of Representatives. They influence over certain bills and legislations. They ask for bribes to pass budgets or to obtain international loans.
The Court, which is the last hope of the common man, has been influenced by the ghost of injustice. Even the Supreme Court is not spared. Even the office of the Independent National Electoral commission has been infiltrated by the ghost of injustice.
This evil ghost of injustice has tried many times to enter the Sanctuary of God in order to profane it.
He nearly succeeded, if not for the superior power of the Holy Spirit and the divine injunction which ordered that the gate of hell will not prevail against her (Mtt. 16:18). Consequently, the evil ghost is always on the run whenever it confronts the Church and her ministers globally and nationwide.
We have been saying the prayer of exorcism over our country Nigeria for many years. Its objective is to expel the ghost of injustice which has eaten deep into the fabric of our nation since her independence till date. The prayer of Nigeria in distress has been prayed for several years.
Its positive effects cannot be estimated. The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) in her Communique after her plenary session held at Makurdi in Benue State from 4th to 9th September 1995 stated, “Two years ago, at a time of great national crisis, we composed a Prayer of Nigeria in Distress and recommended that it be recited all over the country. Since then, we have been storming heaven with this and other prayers. Although the crisis hanging over the nation has not lifted, we are still surviving as a nation, thanks to the sustaining hand of God.
We must not relent in our prayers that our merciful Father will continue to save us as we call on him in all our distress.” This distress hinges around the ghost of injustice possessing our country and her leaders at all levels. It is the cause of the false Federalism which has bedeviled our nation till today.
Since 1999 to date, our country is celebrating twenty-four years of unbroken democratic rule. Within this democratic era, the ghost of injustice still keeps us restless as a nation. It has produced corruption, marginalization, ethnicity, tribalism, lopsided appointments, unemployment, hunger, terrorism, wanton killings, kidnapping for ransom, cultism, banditry, agitations, etc.
The 2014 National Conference addressed these vices and came up with solutions, which were put down in black and white as a national document. The outgoing president by then, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, handed the document to his successor, President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 for study and implementation. Unfortunately it was swept under the carpet. The ghost of injustice triumphed.
President Buhari is about to complete his eight years’ tenure. Hence the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections were slated for 25 February, 2023. The Governorship and State Assembly Elections will hold on 11 March 2023. The former has been concluded as we await the latter. To be candid, the ghost of injustice is seriously hovering around the concluded presidential election.
The spirit of compromise is moving around it. The 2022 Electoral Act as amended allows for the results of the elections to be transmitted electronically in order to minimize rigging. By the virtue of Session 60 (5) “Presiding officers must transmit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal on completion of elections. Failure to comply is a criminal offence.” One then wonders why the Presidential Election Results from different States were transmitted manually by the resident electoral commissioners to the National Collation Centre at Abuja.
What actually went wrong with the Server? Was the Portal deliberately shut down to give room for manipulation and rigging? The INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, on several occasions promised the whole world and Nigerians that their votes will surely count. President Buhari also assured Nigerians that he would leave a befitting democratic legacy. Are these promises being fulfilled or compromised?
The long suffering Nigerians, especially the youths, have decided to take their destiny into their own hands. Any injustice or compromise of the Presidential Election Result will be massively protested against. Enough is enough! We have suffered enough at the hands of injustice and its agents. The ghost of injustice must be expelled from our Land so that we can heave a sigh of relief. For this reason, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria composed ‘Prayer for Free, Fair and Peaceful Elections in Nigeria.’ Inter alia the prayer stated, “Merciful Lord, we turn to You, pleading for mercy and pardon.
Strip us of greed, corruption and impunity. Cause your Holy Spirit to expel from us all unjust tendencies and fraudulent practices. Rid us of the evils of vote-selling, vote-buying and election rigging. All-powerful and benevolent God, without You, we cannot succeed; left to our own devices, we cannot progress. We therefore fall on our knees, seeking your intervention.” Surely, God will intervene at his own time.
The manual collation of Presidential results at the National Collation Center Abuja lacked credibility. It does not reflect the wish of millions of Nigerians who trooped out to vote for their preferred candidates on 25 February 2023. Unfortunately the ghost of injustice overtook the process right from the States to the Seat of Power. Bribery exchanged hands at different levels. Thus results were fabricated. The Independent National Electoral Commission has failed us.
The European Union and the International Election observers attest that the Presidential Election collation was not transparent and the result does not express the wish of the electorates. It is a charade. The former President Olusegun Obasanjo has come out to appeal for caution over the looming danger and disaster due to the doctored Presidential Election result. The Bimodal Verification Accreditation System (BVAS) in some places was either manipulated or willingly rendered inactive. Tensions are high all over the country. The whole world is watching. God is never asleep. Injustice cannot last for long. The Law of Nemesis is still active.