Reverend Chris Okotie, pastor of the Household of God Church and presidential candidate of Fresh Party for the 2019 elections, argues, in this interview, that all the other presidential candidates need to step down for him so he can set up an Interim National Government. This, Okotie says, is the only way to take Nigeria out the woods

Daily Trust: In recent times, you have been speaking on what you believe is the need for Nigeria to have an Interim National Government (ING). What exactly is the proposition all about?

Reverend Chris Okotie: What I am saying is that the current arrangement in the political hemisphere is not workable because the political class has refused to recognise the seriousness of the existential adversary that confronts us at this time. We are at a juncture in our national evolution where we must come to a halt temporarily and have an ad hoc measure, which is the Interim National Government, to deal with the fundamental issues that beset our nation, and to restructure and change the Constitution. No extant government can do these things. That’s what I’m saying.

DT: Doesn’t your idea render the Fresh Party’s presidential ticket, which you have been given, useless?

Okotie: Yes, I already have the Fresh Party’s presidential ticket, and that means we shall be participating in the presidential election slated for February 2019. But what I am saying is that all other parties should not field candidates against me in the 2019 presidential election so that it would be easy for me to set up the Interim National Government. If they don’t field candidates, it means I have won and what I’d do immediately is set up an ING instead of the normal or ordinary government that is put in place, where we have the legislature, judiciary and all of that that is not workable. An interim government will not need a legislature and it is at this time that we can redesign the political landscape.

DT: Would you be executing this idea on the platform of the Fresh Party?

Okotie: I have to run for election on the platform of a political party. After the election has been held, the creation of the Interim National Government is another step.

DT: How do you think this would work out during the election?

Okotie: Since it would be based on consensus, it would be based on the reality of the time. By the time the 2019 election holds, I am sure we shall be coming to a point to realise that the only way forward is to have a paradigm shift, and that has to be the ING.

DT: But many have argued that the ING idea is not recognized by the Nigerian Constitution. How do you hope to navigate the legal challenge?

Okotie: That is totally irrelevant. The Constitution was created by men. It can be suspended and we can put an ad hoc mechanism in place to legalise the machinery of an interim government. It can be done. It is not impossible.

DT: In the proposed ING, you offer yourself as the person to lead the arrangement. How acceptable do you think your offer would be to other political stakeholders?

Okotie: That would be predicated on the reality of that day. When this whole sequence had played itself out, it would become obvious that there was no other way forward. There is no partisan political equilibrium that can salvage Nigeria at this juncture of our national evolution because the problems that confront us are gargantuan.

DT: So how prepared are you to deal with these gargantuan problems?

Okotie: I am very prepared. If you notice, all these years, I have not engaged in any political participation at any level because my political philosophy is quite different. The ideology that I believe in is diametrically opposed to that of the status quo. And that is why I have not been part of APC, PDP or any other national party.

DT: You are a pastor, so how do you hope to drive your message to non-Christians?

Okotie: We will drive the message when there is a national platform in place, which is the ING. Yes, we must rise above the issues of religion and ethnicity. I have assumed an altitude where these cleavages diminish to mere superficial laceration in the terrain of national integration. But it can only be advocated on a national platform that is recognizable.

DT: If your idea works out, what would be your area of focus when you lead the ING?

Okotie: First and foremost, we must redesign our Constitution. That is clear. This Federalism that we run is what I call terminological inexactitude. It is a lie. It’s a deceit. This is not federalism; it’s more like a unitary government. When you look at its centrifigure, you will discover that there is disequilibrium. We need to address the problem of ethnicity and how that plays out in our polity, and then work on reconciliation. There is a need to restructure our nation.

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/2019-why-other-candidates-must-step-down-for-me-rev-chris-okotie.html

The presidency is not given. It's taken. Atiku, I stand. What of you?.

Ok Man of God.

Atiku is d man 2019 all d way...

Keep dreaming

Oga Chris Majority of the voters don't understand your big vocabs

Now this is what I call a joke. Na this kain people dey make people disrespect Christianity.

Hahahahahhahahahhahahahhaha
hahaahahahhahahahahahahahhah
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hahahahhahahahhahahahahaha


This guy is to Nigerian politics what speedy Darlington is to music. So much confidence

who let this thing out again bikonu. must he always make noise on social media every 4yrs! I guess even 19% of his members won't vote him

Clown

Our God is a merciful God.

If only Atikwu had chosen this man as deputy, I would have considered him more sensible than a dung beetle.

Balderdash

Frank1122:
����

If this is true then go ahead and win the millions. Why do you need my 3k

Ok

This charlatan and hubris are like 5 & 6. Every election cycle he comes out to yarn the same dust about how he has been chosen to be the next president, and how his 'god' will make him the next president of Nigeria. How people are still able to bring themselves to follow him still defies logic.

This man , you are not ashamed abi, every election you come out with a new story, i even thought you will stop after saying God asked you to contest. Please carry your grammar go Ghana abeg.

Suspend the Constitution. Do away with the Legislature.
On a less serious note, I don't think dollar politicians like Atiku and Gandollar would agree with your idea of ING. With all the dollars they throw around, they would rather burn Nigeria than give up their wanting desires.

My vote alone will do the magic for you.Buhari or no election

My vote alone will do the magic for you.Buhari or no Nigeria .Lobby Atiku to step down for you.If it is not Buhari,it can never be another person in that Aso rock or else,we go lock am till thy kingdom come

I don't even know we have pastor contesting , their is a way God appointed Jonathan before him Bleep up later, such way ,osinbanjo has more chances than him, he should fight for VP just like good Jonathan and we know the next if God wanted him, he they should face their Bible ja re

johnmba:


If this is true then go ahead and win the millions. Why do you need my 3k

it's like asking why politicians bribe? If they anyway will perform a miraculous rigging ���

This guy still dey hustle?

Oga pastor abeg go sleep, which one be all dis talk ehn, every 4years u go come out dey talk trash. All parties should not field a candidate for d presidential election cos of u, u must be on some strange kind of weed.

I was in ss2 when this fake fryining hair lie lie English speaking blue dog made a certain unjustified assertion not prophesy... That if he does not become Nigeria presidents as at that time then Nigeria should know that he is not called by God and he is fake... But till now am still shock at the confidence this man still repose to being able to come out from his own house......

make I no just talk

This man mumu never do?

Chris Okotie, spiritual President of Nigeria

Make this man go rest joor!






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