Some youths and leaders from Uzo Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State have rejected a House of Representatives aspirant, Mathias Ezeaku, over his denunciation of Christianity and public burning of the Holy Bible.
Mr Ezeaku, a traditional African religion worshiper, is seeking the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) ticket for the 2027 House of Representatives election.
He is seeking to represent the Uzo-Uwani-Igbo-Etiti Federal Constituency.
The NDC House of Representatives aspirant has been a vocal critic of Christianity for several years.
He has been promoting traditional worship while labelling Christianity and Islam as deceitful and foreign religions intended to mislead Africans.
He hails from Nrobo, a community in the Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, a South-eastern state with a high Christian population.
In a statement forwarded to Newsmen on Wednesday and signed by its leader, Chukwuma Obinna, the youths raised an alarm over the danger of Mr Ezeaku’s “persistent promotion of religious intolerance and hate speech against Christians and Muslims.”
The group, under the aegis of Concerned Uzo Uwani Youths, accused Mr Ezeaku of repeatedly making inflammatory comments against Christianity and other religious beliefs.
They warned that such conduct poses a serious threat to peaceful coexistence in the constituency.
According to them, criticising Christian leaders and openly attacking Christian doctrines and practices, including burning the Bible, is cause for concern.
“The Igbo-Etiti/Uzo-Uwani Federal Constituency is made up of peace-loving people from different religious backgrounds, including Christians, Muslims, and traditional worshippers. Any individual with a history of intolerance and divisive rhetoric should not be entrusted with political leadership,” the group said in the statement.
The group attached a link to a Facebook post to the statement, which showed a video clip in which Mr Ezeaku was filmed burning a Holy Bible and labelling Christian clerics as deceivers.
Newsmen conducted a reverse image search on the video clip and found that it was first uploaded on Facebook on 23 January 2022.
Newsmen analysed several of Mr Ezeaku’s Facebook posts and found that he has been consistently attaching a photograph of the NDC’s sole presidential aspirant, Peter Obi, to his campaign posters.
But in the statement, the youths, under the aegis of Concerned Uzo-Uwani Youths, argued Mr Ezeaku’s philosophy and public disposition stand in sharp contrast to the ideals of Mr Obi.
“The philosophy of Mathias Ezeaku cannot align with that of Peter Obi and the Nigeria Democratic Congress because while Obi believes that the Church remains a powerful institution for the promotion of quality education, healthcare, and societal development, Ezeaku has been associated with statements suggesting that nothing good comes from the church,” the group said.
They warned that electing leaders like Mr Ezeaku with “controversial religious dispositions” could create avoidable tension and deepen divisions within the constituency.
“We are worried that someone who has consistently attacked Christianity and ridiculed other religious beliefs may use public office to deepen religious hostility. Our constituency cannot afford religious conflict or unnecessary controversies,” it further said.
The group urged political parties and voters in the constituency to prioritise candidates with proven records of tolerance, unity, and peaceful engagement, rather than individuals associated with inflammatory statements and confrontational conduct.
They contended that the election of individuals in the 2027 poll should be based on competence, development, inclusiveness, and peace, maintaining that the constituency deserves leaders capable of uniting the people irrespective of religion or ideology.
The youths also asked security agencies and relevant authorities to monitor statements capable of inciting religious hatred.
They also called on political actors to conduct issue-based campaigns devoid of divisive sentiments.
When contacted by Newsmen on Thursday morning, Mr Ezeaku described the opposition of the Uzo-Uwani Youths against his aspiration as “propaganda.”
The aspirant defended his burning of the Bible, arguing that even Christians also burn oracles and shrines which are part of other people’s faith because they believe the oracles are evil.
“Everyone is entitled to his or her choice to say, I am done with this (Christianity), I want to follow traditional religion,” he said.
“The reason why they (Christians) burned all oracles, our way of life, was because they belonged to them. So, anybody has the full right to reject anything that he’s practising that he doesn’t need again.”
