23rd February, 2023
With just two days to the presidential election in Nigeria, a lot of endorsement is happening in the Christendom, with pastors and others endorsing presidential candidates, trying to hoodwinked their members who to vote for. More than ever, there is a polarisation in the Christendom, politics has subtly crept in and destroying the very fabric of the faith.
In the clear sense of it, the church and politics are two parallel lines that can never meet but what is happening in Nigeria is that the two lines have eventually met and politics is corrupting the church and eroding the gospel message that Jesus has set for us as the only message.
“When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.” (John 6:15) The world did not understand the mission of Christ, they wanted to make him political king, but knowing that he was here for another purpose, he rejected it. “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.” (Hebrew 7:26) “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” (I Corinthians 2:2). The church of God has jettisoned the standard of the Bible and is now becoming megaphones of political candidates.
Few days to the February 25, 2023 presidential elections, several pastors have come out openly to let their congregation know who they are supporting and pushing them to go in the same direction.
While some are endorsing the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, others are pitching their tent with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the APC and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP. While some openly campaigned for them using the altar of the church, others tactically showed their members the way. What they fail to understand is that members of their congregation have affiliations to different political parties. Canvassing votes for a particular candidate amounts to bias, injustice and a slap on the gospel message.
Below are some pastors who have openly endorsed candidates:
1. Pastor Paul Enenche:
After weeks and months of merry-go-round, the founder, Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Pastor Paul Enenche has at last endorsed Peter Obi for president. Enenche, during his sermons had frequently endorsed Obi tactically, telling his members where to go and what choice to make. He always called Tinubu an ‘expired product.’
But five days to the election, he openly endorsed Obi.
Enenche posted a photo of himself with Bishop David Oyedepo and Obi. In the photo, he was pointing a finger at Obi and then wrote: “This picture is speaking volumes right now, especially in this season.
“What do you see? What can you hear? Are you in doubt of the way to go?
“The way of integrity, authenticity, honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, capacity, productivity; here is the way to go.”
In July 2022, Obi visited Dunamis International Gospel Centre, as part of tour of churches to make his ambition known to them.
Before then, during his sermon, Enenche had said “When president Olusegun Obasanjo came into power in 1999 the two political parties decided to present candidates from the South-West. There were South-West Christians so it was narrowed down.
“At this time now, let me ask a question, what is wrong if it was narrowed down to Southeast? I am asking out loud. People Who have felt so marginalized and oppressed for a long time.
“Why can’t they be sensible and say let south-east produce presidency so that the parties give tickets to candidates from the region?
“Who says that such cannot calm down the agitation in that area and also give that region some sense of belonging?
“Who says that an Easterner can not be a president of Nigeria? What did they do? What is their offence? Who said it? Where was the law made from? never for once.
“Those who have had presidency many times are still clamouring to come. That is to say, there is a group of people that are not humans. Such useless things are happening in various states of the country and Jehovah is arresting the situation.
“I say it with authority, there is no part of this country that is stronger or better than the other. And I can tell you in both capacity and wisdom if the same people have been ruling and everything is degenerating why can’t you try other people and see whether things will not change? whether things will not be better. Jehovah will change it by force. He will change the narrative by force.”
Enenche is not ashamed to tell his large congregation to vote for Obi. He is not called for this. He supposed to be neutral and tell his members to vote their conscience.
2. Apostle Johnson Suleman:
The founder of Omega Fire Ministries, during a sermon on the pulpit told his congregation that he, his wife and pastors would vote for Obi on Saturday.
Before now, Obi had visited the church in his game of wooing churches to endorse his candidature.
According to Suleman: “Don’t plan your political life around someone who is ungrateful; he will retire you. In Omega Fire Ministries, God has blessed us; no matter the economy of the forest, a lion cannot eat grass; use this anger to vote against this wickedness.
“My wife, myself, and children we’re fully Obidients; we’re not those who make noise on social media, we work in the background, and we are fully in support, if you like vote insecurity, tribalism, bigotry or ethnicity.”
Why will Suleman not keep the choice of who to vote to himself and his family? By endorsing Obi, he is telling his congregation where to go.
3. Pastor Chris Oyakhilome:
Last year, Oyakhilome suspended his nephew, Daysman Oyakhilome Woghiren for engaging in partisan politics.
According to Oyakhilome, “This man, Oyakhilome Woghiren, is hereby removed from being president of LoveWorld Next and LoveWorld Innovations and also suspended from all official roles for acts of gross misconducts.
“So he no longer handles all of that. I’m putting him under spiritual rehabilitation programme from now with immediate effect.”
In a viral video, the pastor narrated to his members what was revealed to him by God concerning three presidential candidates presently contesting for the 2023 election.
Although no name was mentioned, Pastor Chris gave his members a clue about the third candidate’s saying “his name is in the Bible”.
Oyakhilome revealed that the ‘third candidate’ is “afraid of winning but doesn’t want to lose”. He then endorsed the third candidate and prayed for “God to give him wings to fly,” as his congregation jubilated.
Elaborating on his vision, the cleric said “The first candidate is not himself, he is under the influence of the devil, the devil was mocking, laughing, and scoffing at Nigerians. The devil is using him, it is a wicked spirit of darkness, a mocker.”
He told his members that Nigerians “will have no country” and would be a “sold country” if the second candidate is elected.
4. Pastor Paul Adefarasin:
House on the Rock founder, Adefarasin set social media on fire few days ago when he gave a parable of ‘Saul and David’ to illustrate how this weekend’s election will go.
“Here is the parable. Saul came before David; David did not come before Saul. Saul will come, and David will come after,” he said.
“And hold it for a moment, Saul was not all that bad. He didn’t start out bad. He actually started out as a prophet and he did a lot of good, because he had half a heart. David had a whole heart, and it was necessary that he come after.”
Though he did not mention name, many interpreted it to mean that Tinubu is Saul and Obi is David, meaning that Tinubu would win this weekend’s election.
5. Bishop David Oyedepo:
Though Oyedepo has not openly endorsed any presidential candidate, his body language is tilted towards Obi. He has met with him in his church and was even hosted by Obi recently. He had likened anybody who would want a repeat of the last eight years of President Muhammadu Buhari as a devil. He has seriously rejected any candidate put forward by the APC, with his body language being Obi.
Others
There are also many other pastors who had shown where they belong. A Pastor from the Throneroom Ministry Inc. at Kafanchan, openly endorsed Atiku during his preaching in Kaduna State. He said he supported Obi, but that God told him to vote for Atiku.
His remark is captured in a clip posted on the church YouTube channel on Wednesday.
“Now, let me tell you, some of you were waiting for me to make an announcement, and I will make it because the Lord commanded me to make it. Listen, I have waited before the Lord and preached all the good things.
“My heart and my spirit desire, and with everything inside of me, to vote for Peter Obi on Saturday…”
He said God has told him to vote for Atiku and that he was going to do that this Saturday.
In Rivers State, about 100 pastors endorsed the candidacy of Tinubu. They vowed to mobilise their churches to vote for him.