DESCRIBE it as uncontrollable desperation, call it ungodly dispositions or religious jingoism, you are right as some Christian clerics in Abia State have now made themselves available to be used as political marionettes by some politicians in the state who have lost out in the power equation to achieve their selfish desires against the majority of the people ahead of the April polls.

As a Christian, I have tremendous respect for both ordained and acclaimed men of God, not minding where they derive their power. I believe that judgment should be left to God, while men of God should be a symbol of justice, morality and fairness to all, irrespective of denominations.

Since the return of democracy in 1999 and concurrent events that had accompanied the practice, the actions of some clerics just like some judges have raised a lot of posers on whether there are true men of God anymore in our society. Materialism, blackmail, conspiracy and all sorts of social vices have become prnounced in churches and among the clerics.

My heart bleeds as I watched with disbelief actions of some clerics in Abia State ahead of the April polls. These actions are unimaginable and call to question the sincerity, morality and motives of these clerics. In tandem with their responsibility in deepening democracy, the Catholic Community in Abia State recently organised a debate for the governorship candidates in the State. Such an event is supposed to be well organised and moderated, with every candidate accorded equal respect and treatment, if truly the organisers meant well for the State and the people.

But all these were missing at the event as it was allegedly hijacked by the enemies of the state who seemed to be working with the clerics. Unknown to Governor T.O. Orji and in his humble manner, he honoured the debate without prior knowledge of the ulterior motives of the organisers and their cohorts.

With his entrance there, the hijackers of the event who are mainly remnant members of the moribund empire called PPA in the State displayed their uncultured attitude and anger against him. Not many Abia people were there to the chagrin of Governor Orji and it was obvious that the environment was tense and unsafe for him, especially these days that bomb blast has become a recurring decimal.

For safety reasons, he left the venue protesting and Stanley Ohajuruka, the Labour Party candidate and other few concerned individuals condemned the treatment meted to him. I could remember vividly that at the peak of the kidnapping saga in Aba, one of the Catholic priests was allegedly fingered by security agents as providing cover for the kidnappers.

The Catholic community in Aba later took an advertorial in a newspaper to exonerate the priest, but failed to disclose his alleged role and identity. It seems obvious that they wanted to use the debate in collaboration with the enemies of the state to achieve a vendetta mission against Governor Orji.

Who knows what would have happened to Governor Orji and his supporters if they had not left the place at that point? It may be for these obvious reasons that most of the guber candidates boycotted the event, having realised that there were ulterior and clandestine motives behind the organisation of the debate.

Some of the enemies of the State who were part of the plot have been mischievously planting rumours and propaganda against the Governor for storming out of the debate, without telling the people why and how the event was organised with the enemies of the state under the guise of Catholic community.

The same people in a desperate bid to call a  dog a bad name in order to hang it have continued in their orchestrated plot by sponsoring a story in a national newspaper of Thursday, March 10, page 41 owned by a known enemy of the State, alleging that Governor Orji’s boys disrupted the prayer meeting of some clerics at Aba where the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Prince Paul Ikonne was in attendance.

It was only the newspaper that carried the story among all the newspapers in the country. One wonders what they stand to achieve by using a supposed national newspaper to pursue personal and selfish agenda. Who are the witnesses at the incident and how do they know that those boys were working for Governor Orji? It is very bad for clerics to be mixing religion with politics. It is obvious that these clerics didn’t mean well  for the state, because from their dispositions in the fabricated stories, it was clear that they have taken sides even before investigation is  concluded by security agents.

Before now, the state government have raised alarm over plot by a former governor of the state in connivance with a cleric whose sister is a running mate to one of the governorship candidate in the state to cause a mayhem in the state. It is clear to everyone in the state now that all these are parts of the plot by these enemies of the state to create confusion or crisis in the state ahead of the poll.

For the few clerics, acclaimed or ordained who are part of the plots to destabilize the state for selfish reason, they will soon realize that they are few individuals who cannot determine for the majority of the people in the state who to vote for. Whatever offers were given to them by their sponsors to work against the progress and unity of the state ahead of the polls should be left to God under His guise, they seem to have been doing evils to judge them.

No matter how far they try to mix religion with politics without thinking about the consequences on the people, Abia State cannot go back to the bondage of mamacracy and soncracy under any disguise.

In the past, mixing religion with politics has not done anybody any good and doing it now is like building castle in the air. Do these clerics have conscience and ever remember what they represent on earth? Where are their sacredness and holiness? Are they only preachers of the words and not doers?

Candidates for elections in the state should be tolerant and dwell on issues not attacking personality as exemplified or shown by Governor Orji. The clerics should serve as fathers to all candidates for the election and provide a level playing ground for all taking away any sort of religious sentiments and bigotry.

We have grown above such antics and sentiments and need to be guided by our conscience, not minding whose ox is gored.

Mr. PAUL OCHIAGHAM, a clergyman, writes from Umuahia, Abia  State.