PFN Calls for Creation of New Constitution, Declares Current One is Religiously Biased

Sunday Ehigiator

The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has called for the creation of a new constitution that guarantees equal treatment of all religions, describing the current 1999 Constitution as religiously biased and a product of military imposition.

PFN President, Bishop Wale Oke, made the call yesterday, during a press briefing held at the PFN National Headquarters in Lagos.

Oke said the present constitution does not reflect the will of Nigerians, insisting that it should be replaced with a document driven by the people.

According to him, “There is a constitutional review that is going on and the stand of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria has been consistent that this constitution that we’re running now is a contraption.

“We should jettison it and initiate the process to have a constitution that will represent the will of the people, that will begin with we; the people of Nigeria, giving ourselves this constitution. 

“Not the constitution that the military handed over to us and we’re patching it up and patching it up; a constitution that we see as biased and unbalanced.

“A constitution that mentions Sharia, Islam many times and there is no mention of the church or Christians at any instance, not once.

“And such a constitution is not acceptable to us. It is a constitution that ignores the feelings and the aspiration of over 50 per cent of the populace of Nigeria.

“Our faith is not mentioned, and the other faith dominates the page, as though Nigeria is an Islamic nation and Nigeria by constitution is not an Islamic nation. It is a secular nation, and they can’t sell it.

“Give us a constitution that does not play a religious game where no religion is mentioned, and it is fair to all or give us a constitution where the religions that we practice are equally emphasised. 

“Not that one is emphasised, and the other is ignored as though the church is a minority. And we make bold to say that the church is not a minority at all. 

“If statistics have anything to do with it, the church is approximately 50 per cent plus of the population of Nigeria and the constitution that does not take into consideration our feelings, our passion, our faith is not fair.

“If it is silent on all religions, there’ll be no complaint. But it’s silent on the Christian faith, and it’s very loud and vocal on the other faith. We, the church in Nigeria, reject it in totality.”