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The Seventh Day Adventist Church in Nigeria has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop conducting elections on Saturday to enable its members participate in the electoral process.
President of the Western Nigeria Union of the Church, Pastor Oyeleke Owolabi, regretted that his members were being disenfranchised during every successive election in the country because of their religious beliefs.
Pastor Owolabi stressed that Seventh Day Adventist Church recognized Saturday as its Sabbath Day adding that the conduct of election on Saturdays is depriving many of its followers from participating in electoral process.
He spoke at a press conference on Tuesday in Ado Ekiti to herald its 2016 conference which starts Wednesday:
“We are not feeling comfortable because we are being disenfranchised. We have written many letters to INEC on the need to shift elections from Saturday and I know that it will accede to the request one day.
“We have seen a situation whereby a gubernatorial election was conducted in the country on Tuesday and I think the country recorded the highest turnout in history; so we are begging the INEC to put the interest of our people at heart”