Kakata — The senatorial bid of US-sanctioned former minister of states Nathaniel F. McGill for Margibi County in 2023 has been dealt a huge blow as acclaimed clergymen and heads of faith-based institutions in the county have taken a strong stance in opposing his ambition over his alleged involvement in public corruption and human rights abuse.
McGill was one of three top officials of the Weah's government sanctioned by the United States Treasury Department for public corruption and human rights abuse. In September, he, along with his colleagues, bowed to public pressure and tendered in their resignations.
Following their resignations, the disgraced sanctioned ex-minister of states has since consented to contest after his supporters from across Margibi petitioned him to run for the county's only senatorial seat that will be up for grasp in the 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections in Liberia. However, his decision continues to be greeted by public outcry and condemnations from high-profiled figures and institutions in the county.
The latest of rejections has come from the conglomeration of clergymen and heads of Christian faith organizations in the county. These include the Liberia Fellowship of Full Gospel Ministers and Churches, Liberia Pastors Association, Pastors' Wife Association, Elder Christian Council and Morning Glory Prayer Ministries. These religious men and women have said after reflections, consultations and deliberations amongst the different groupings they have unanimously and holistically agreed and stand united in opposition to and unequivocally reject the senatorial bid of Nathaniel F. McGill in Margibi County.
"Our Christian Faith calls us to address and stand up against, and in opposition to the issues of poverty, conflict, corruption in the society, injustice, inequality, moral decline, discrimination and other vices that negatively affect all human societies in general, and the Liberian nation in particular," the clergies said.
Continuing, the group of pastors and church leaders added: "We have a moral and spiritual, obligation to ensure that in keeping with our Christian Faith, we never, at any time encourage or otherwise support hateful and destructive attitudes, violence behaviors, corruption in public places, the abuse of power in the nation, and the exploitation and manipulation of the poor and vulnerable, and whatsoever that is against the status of integrity and the human race."
The group noted that their Christian Faith requires that they must at all times stand as the conscience of society and protect the integrity and posterity of the country and project a stable and reliable future for the young people of the nation and generations yet unborn.
The Clergymen and church leaders in a press statement delivered over the weekend in Kakata, Margibi County by the head of the Margibi Chapter of the Liberia Fellowship of Full Gospel Ministers, Pastor Eddie Gbarngnawoe Seyboe, declared their opposition to the recent decision of sanctioned McGill to run for the office of Senator in the county in the wake of the scandal of public corruption against the Liberian people and alleged abuse of his position and power when he served in the capacity of Minister of State and Chief-of-Office Staff in the Office of President George M. Weah for five years.
"We have gathered here to publicly declare our stance against the senatorial bid of Mr. Nathaniel F. McGill, as leaders of the Christian Community of Margibi County, the office of public of trust, (The Senatorial Office of Margibi County), cannot and should not be given to Mr. Nathaniel F. McGill," they emphasized.
They intimated that allowing McGill, a person in a position of public trust, who publicly made a confession of corruption and was sanctioned by the United States' Treasury Department for public corruption and human rights abuse, take on an elected position will be a license and encouragement to common thieves, armed robbers and other criminals to continue in their criminal behaviors, noting that this must not and should never be allowed to happen.
The religious group is at the same time admonishing all ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and all Christians and other religious communities, tradition leaders, and the youth and student communities across Margibi County to reject any attempt by Nathaniel F. McGill to run for public office and refrain from engaging in business and financial transactions with the statesman or supporting his quest to be elected.
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"Mr. McGill must stop taking advantage of the vulnerability and low capacity of the majority of the society. Rather we encourage him to adapt the attitude of repentance and seek the forgivingness of the nation, yea the Liberian people," they recommended.
Clergymen proffered Recommendations
The clergymen and church leaders are, however, recommending to the Government of Liberia (GoL) to mandate the Minister of Justice to process and forward the sanctioned individuals to the appropriate court of law to face the Liberian people through the legal process; the National Election Commission of Liberia should not certificate any of the sanctioned individuals for election to public offices purposes as they did in the case of former Senator-elect, J. Brownie Samukai in Lofa County; and the Government of Liberia should establish the War and Economic Crimes Courts in Liberia in order to enable alleged and accused individuals have a free and fair trial before the Law.
