Controversy as churches take front seats in politics

Only ignorant church won’t participate –Rev. Thompson

More churches will join the cue –Femi Emmanual

For many years, the Nigerian church took the back seat in matters outside its four walls, as there was much hesitancy about involving in the political sphere, owing to the notion that it is impossible to play the mud game without getting smeared.

But as the nation gears towards the 2023 election, that practice is receding into history books for many Christian stakeholders with a current nationwide clamour for Christian participation in politics.

The wakeup bell is resonating around the country, stirring the waters, signifying a new beginning. Churches are seen taking up the role of educating members on the need to get their voters’ cards, ensure they vote and ditch the perception that votes do not count.

Members are further persuaded to show interest in monitoring the counting of their votes instead of hastily leaving the polling units upon casting such votes. The encouragement is also for Christians who have the flair for governance to take up the challenge and be involved from the grassroots level.

To this end, the Directorate of Politics and Governance is being established by Christian bodies like the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and individual churches. Director, National Directorate of Politics and Governance, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), and head of the Living Spring Chapel International Churches, Pastor Femi Emmanuel is leading the move and said when Christians refuse to vote or be voted for, they suffer from the negative rulership.

This is why Pastor Emmanuel comes in as a mobilizer. PFN/DPG is still at the level of building a grassroots base. “We are still far from presenting candidates. Anyone talking of presenting candidates at this point does not know politics. Politics is at the grassroots. You can’t present candidates when you are not at the grassroots. You are at the back of the fence politically speaking.”

In response to this, the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) has established the Directorate of Politics and Governance to motivate members of the organization to effectively participate in all political activities.

The RCCG, via a memo dated February 28, 2022, and titled, “Office of Directorate of Politics and Governance’ with reference number: RCCG/AGO/ADM/AA/ MEMO/20/01/2022 signed by Pastor John Odesola, Assistant General Overseer in charge of Administration and Personnel, notified that the mission authority has created the Office of Directorate of Politics and Governance in the RCCG.

Further to this, Pastor Timothy Olaniyan (PICP Lagos Province 12) has been appointed to lead the Office. “You are kindly requested to appoint with immediate effect a Provincial Officer for your province and also ensure that the same is done at all levels of the church – zone, area and parish.

The essence of this directorate is to help coordinate the engagement of our people who are willing to be involved in politics as well as mobilize support for them when required.”

The development has attracted criticism, as some perceived it to be a wrong move making the church look partisan, as it was interpreted – a means of drumming support for the yet to be disclosed 2023 presidential ambition of Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, a frontline member of the church.

One of such critics is Mr. Dele Momodu, a political aspirant in his widely publicised post on the social media, entitled, ‘My Kobo Advice To The Redeemed Christian Church Of God (RCCG),’ criticising the partisan position of the church through the establishment of a political arm.

“…As soon as I read the memo establishing a political arm of our Church, I realised this was nothing but an invitation to Armageddon, if true. For that reason, at first, I assumed the memo was a joke, a fake document that was merely meant to stir the hornets’ nest, so I did not pay too much attention to it.

“However, when it started flying in every direction to my phones, I knew someone had touched the tiger by the tail. I started working the phones to speak to a few contacts who should know about it and be able to confirm the veracity or otherwise of the document.

The outcome was a resounding yes, the document had emanated from the Church and was acquiesced to by the upper echelons. “I asked for what the motive(s) could have been, and the general conspiracy theory was that our church was setting up an extensive network for the obvious for the Presidential ambition of the current Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, although couched in terms which ostensibly suggested that the Church wished to support all of its congregation who wished to contest the next general elections and made their aspirations known to the newly formed Church department,” he said.

He added: “I expect the RCCG to ‘pretend’ a little and behave as if it is not so. Not to do that would be tantamount to picking a child out of one’s children and say, ‘this is my favourite!’ It is simply not right or proper for the RCCG to demonstrate such blatant and flagrant partisanship.

“As if that is not a tough cookie to handle, there is the fact that there is a third contender, yours truly, Dele Momodu, who’s also a member of the RCCG and the youngest of the contending Church aspirants so far. I’m also the only member of the RCCG aspiring on the platform of PDP, as far as I know.

Would the Church then ask its congregation to vote for one party over the other merely because it has decided to support one candidate in preference to the other regardless of the strong points one may have over the other? What a conundrum and crisis this portends for the Church and its unity and peace.”

In a reaction on behalf of RCCG, Pastor Odesola, Assistant General Overseer (Admin & Personnel), stressed that the Directorate was to support members on effective and efficient voter education and the discharge of their related civic rights and obligations.

Odesola, in a statement made available to Sunday Telegraph, stated: “Regarding the internal instrument to Directorate of Politics and Governance in The Redeemed Christian Church of God that someone in sincere ignorance has drop into the media which has been drawn to reactions in the public to the function of the Directorate. It is important to highlight that the operative words are:’… help coordinate the engagement of our people who are willing to be involved in politics as well as mobilise support for them.’

“We wish to state that: Nowhere in the statement is it mentioned nor insinuated that a particular political aspirant is being referred to. As would be expected the Church has members that belong to several political parties, but would not itself get into partisan issues.

“As a big and dynamic church, RCCG considers herself one of the nation’s stakeholders and the work of the directorate is in direct response to the advisory of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to support our members on effective and efficient voter education and the discharge of their related civic rights and obligations.

“As a big and dynamic church, RCCG considers it necessary to respond to the growing interest of its members in politics and governance by ensuring that their standing as law-abiding citizens in all spheres of life is neither compromised nor fall below the standard expected of followers of Christ.

“RCCG by this is not doing anything new or different from some other denominations such as the Catholic Church or other religious bodies who bring its members up to date with policies, laws and regulations regarding their polity and its governance.

“Therefore, the RCCG does not promote the interest of one particular political party as its members are to be found in all the political parties holding high ranking and responsible offices and have in the past gone through necessary tutelage on how to conduct themselves in public office.

“RCCG will continue to offer spiritual and moral support to its members through prayers, encouragement, exhortation, counselling and moral instructions as would be expected from an organisation which on record is fully conscious of its Christian Social Responsibility.”

Rev. Ladi Thompson, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Special Adviser, Conflict Resolution and Matters related to Terrorism in an online discussion with Network of African Christian Journalists on Friday, monitored by Sunday Telegraph, viewed that the church remains the pillar of morality and Nigeria has been helped to stand out by many Christian legends including Otunba Payne. He called on Christians as God’s children to contend for governance as part of living out their faith, making known that the word, ‘politics’ means contention.

Contention against oligarchy and bad leadership was as old as the scripture, he made known, adding that it was only when light refuses to shine that darkness prevails.

The Founder of Living Waters Unlimited Church said Christians choose not to contend for the faith and not influence positive decision making when they refuse to go into politics. He pointed out how Leah Sharibu, the Christian girl abducted by Boko Haram contended for the Christian faith and religious freedom.

“Only an ignorant church will accept not to contend for the faith. Jesus contended for the faith… Everything rises and falls with leadership. Your vote affects how resources are shared.

A Christian sleeps in church and when resources are shared he complains…Governance affects policies and policies can close down a church…God expects us to be smart,” Thompson stated.

Reacting to the question that a true Christian allegedly cannot be in politics without being smeared, he treated it with a wave of the hand, emphasising that it was a strategy of the devil to prevent Christians from contending for governance.

He encouraged Christians on political awareness, while clarifying that it were better Christians with political calling be the one to go into governance. However, in the Directorate of Politics and Governance he said it was the right step in the right direction, but noted that it should not have been publicised. (Sunday Telegraph)