"AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH" ?

ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.
(Looking at Nigeria's Political System from a godly Perspective).  

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 5. NO 174. 11th December, 2016.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

"AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH" ?

The 2015 General Elections in Rivers State witnessed rivers of blood, shed from innocent citizens, before, during and after the "do-or-die" exercise, due to the desperation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwarts to win back the State at all cost from the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) Administration! Scenarios of the gruesome and murderous activities of Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta, (MEND) in the '90s, all in the name of "emancipation of Niger Delta", were re-enacted to the extent that newly-sponsored CULT GROUPS, which specialized in the decapitation of HUMAN HEADS emerged, and headless corpses littered the streets of Port-Harcourt, the State Capital /suburbs; and though Nyesom Wike, was declared governor, parliamentary and state assembly elections were inconclusive.
Two efforts at re- run were made by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in March and July 2016, of the outstanding THREE Senatorial Districts, EIGHT House of Representatives Constituencies, and THIRTEEN House of Assembly seats, (consisting of 4.400 polling units across the 23 Local Government Areas), and both were aborted due to negative security reports in the State!
We are aware that two political gladiators in the persons of the immediate past governor of Rivers State and the incumbent, (whose personalities could be aptly described as the incongruity of  "day and night", which must give way for each other to thrive), should be held responsible for the present level of insecurity, which even law enforcement operatives found difficult to comprehend in spite of President Buhari's appeal for a peaceful election. It is a fact that PDP defeated APC by wining all 16 National Assembly seats in the election which was held during the 2015 General Elections but having been nullified by the Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, INEC was ordered to conduct a re-run of national and state assembly elections within 60 days which could not materialize until Saturday, 10th December, 2016, because the attempt of March 2016, was botched with much violence!
Almost two years on with the advantage of incumbency as Governor in control of all 23 local councils and the declared seats of the State House of Assembly, Wike, who enjoys immunity, believed PDP would win all of the remaining, federal and state seats at stake with violence and more bloodshed of the electorate and through his psychological warfare upon the masses and hate speeches against the APC ruling party. Inciting messages during the recent Rivers State political campaigns by leaders of the two major parties for the re-run, were very clear, unambiguous and reminiscent of the lawful act of vengeance in the Old Testament times: "If they shoot at you, dodge the bullet and shoot them back... if they slap you, slap them back...if they attack you, attack them"; all in the aid of re-run elections in which all stake holders were armed to the teeth!

The re-enactment of the Law of Moses which encouraged vengeance or retaliation in the event of physical breach or injury was resurrected and incited by those political party leaders who hid members of their families far away from danger, but were ready to sacrifice the lives of the electorate for their own political gains and comfort! In the Book of Leviticus 24:20, 21b, an Old Testament law says: "Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again.....he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death;" but the message of the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament Book Matthew. 5: 38-42, has abrogated and nullify the old law of vengeance and retaliation as follows: "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue the at the law, and take away thy coat, let him thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee and from him that would borrow of thee, turn thou not away." The gospel of the Lord is loud and clear; we must love one another, even our enemies and eschew violence and vengeance.
IS THE BLOOD OF THE ELECTORATE WORTH THE INORDINATE AMBITION OF THESE OPPORTUNISTS WHO DO NOT POSSESS THE SLIGHTEST QUALITY OF LEADERSHIP IN THEIR VEINS AND ARTERIES?

The loudest incitement was from Governor Nyesom Wike, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who violated all norms with a tirade of incitements when preparations for the re-run of inconclusive 2015 parliamentary and state assembly elections began in earnest. He publicly declared that officials of the INEC, should write their testaments before travelling to Rivers State, if they intended to rig the re-run elections for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and true to his boasting, some persons, including an official of INEC and an NYSC female member, lost their lives during the first attempt of re-run of the elections, in March, 2016! Not perturbed with incessant loss of human lives, since election violence was synonymous with his State, he also told all PDP members during recent campaigns across all 23 Local Government Areas, where elections would take place to avenge themselves if they were attacked because Rivers State would belong to PDP even if elections were to be conducted ten times over!
There had been myriads of accusations and counter accusations that both parties had perfected orchestrated plans to rig the re-run elections while Governor Wike alleged threat to his life by former Governor, Rotimi Amaechi; and sandwiched between all of the political permutations and calculations were the hapless electorate who had been boxed into a corner and were totally confused whether to come out to vote or to stay indoors for fear of losing their lives, a decision which resulted in voters apathy! We give glory to GOD that the re-run election, though rowdy did not record major casualties inspite of sporadic gunshots to the air and also a bomb which was detonated to scare away voters at the Andoni Local Government Area. Majority of the electorate were wiser than the selfish and egoist politicians whose "modus operandi" was an insatiable thirst to remain permanently in position of authority, by rejecting and turning deaf ears to the incitements but opted for a majorly peaceful re-run election except for pockets of violence and attempted snatching of ballot boxes in the Port-Harcourt Tai, LG. There was also a head injury inflicted to one of the NYSC male official through a conflict at the polling station.

The role of an unprecedented army of over 28.000  combined security agents which invaded the Rivers State volatile terrain to ensure that no criminality held sway, deserved commendation of all well- meaning and patriotic citizens of the Change mantra even though their effort was largely condemned by critics who believed that they were partisan! The re-run election have come and gone but mention should be made of two distinguished APC members who did not emulate President Buhari's leadership qualities, who in the face of provocation, through character assassination /malignment and unfounded hate speeches against him and his family, during the 2015 Presidential campaigns, kept mute and dumb for the Almighty God to fight for him!
THE MOST UNACCEPTABLE OF ALL VITUPERATIONS DURING THE RIVERS RE-RUN ELECTION, WAS THE OUTBURST OF ELDER STATESMAN JOHN ODIGIE-OYEGUN, NATIONAL CHAIRMAN OF THE RULING APC, WHO ADVISED PARTY MEMBERS TO FIGHT BACK PDP MEMBERS BECAUSE THEY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF 95 APC MEMBERS WHO WERE KILLED ACROSS RIVERS STATE DURING THE 2015 GENERAL ELECTIONS!

The following is an unelderly and unstatemanly incitement of party faithfuls in Rivers State by Chairman Odigie-Oyegun as published by the Press and which he is yet to deny: "IF THEY SLAP YOU! SLAP THEM BACK!" Former APC Governor of Rivers State, now Minister of Transport, also followed suit and advised APC supporters to "retaliate anything and any action taken by the opposition party", during the re-run slated for Saturday, 10th December 2016! Interestingly, these respectable and high-ranking members of the ruling party believe in Christian values, doctrines and the sanctity of life, yet they got themselves involved in inciting their followers to execute the Law of Moses which was abrogated by the Lord Jesus with the advent of the Dispensation of Grace or Church Age!
Imagine if at anytime during the 7-year Boko Haram insurgency, all aggrieved citizens - especially Christians - who were the terrorists early targets- were incited to avenge themselves, would there be anything left of this geographical sovereign nation called Nigeria? Let all gladiators remember that all ephemeral things of the world including, transient political power/position of FOUR YEARS INTERVAL would pass away, but God, the ultimate JUDGE would request for accountability from every soul!
We hereby counsel all aggrieved stakeholders in the just concluded re-run to opt for the tribunals and not take laws into their own hands!
A WORD IS ENOUGH FOR THE WISE!

Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to:  facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, https://www.google.com/+zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.

Please look forward to divine revelations in  The Sure Word Gospel Tracts, Our divinely inspired books on the Amazon KINDLE Store Namely: The Unbroken Chain of Grace, Nigeria’s Pot Pourri (Volumes 1-5), Godly Politicking For World Peace,  and The Wedding Mascot Died. 

If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066   g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.