By Nick Apata,
Some Nigerian pastors have been daring the federal government for a while now. No where was this more obvious than during the pandemic which took thousands of lives across the world. These pastors were up in arms against the efforts of the government at reducing the casualties of COVID infection. They were against the wearing of masks. They opposed the government’s directive on social gathering. They turned their alter into a platform of abuse and defiance against the country’s constitutional authorities. Imagine my shock when one Abuja pastor in a recorded sermon told his congregation that they should continue to fill up his church and that no government would have the balls to do anything about it. Then he demurred “them never born that government”! ironically, some of these so-called pastors have several branches of their churches in the UK, Canada, and the US, to mention a few. They were also aware that their churches would be put under indefinite lock if they tried that nonsense in those countries.
Nigeria has become a soft spot for religious bigotry and autocracy mainly because the government has chosen to practice democracy-lite instead of a robust, all-encompassing democracy with a social contract that is strictly adhered to by all parties. The people’s mandate gives an elected government the authority to govern over them fairly and firmly. Not to pacify and turn the other cheek whenever there’s a social, political, or criminal infraction on the part of citizens. Many religious leaders have turned their pulpits into a fertile ground for anti-government and anti-democratic indoctrination as the federal government watched in stoic detachment.
The behaviour of these Christian leaders did not just start because of a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket. It has been going on for almost eight years now. They have been pillaging this government from the very first day that Buhari was sworn in as Nigeria’s President. They have invented the word ‘Islamization’ and turned it into a weapon to attack, weaken and even delegitimize the federal government with. They mount their sacred alters and spew hateful and doomsday lies against a democratically elected government, and they were always allowed to get away with it.
Gregory Obi, the opportunistic political merchant, was quick to capitalise on the gulf between the government and some Nigerian churches to launch his presidential bid. A Muslim-Muslim ticket was not the issue at all, but it fits perfectly into the agenda of those who were bent on using religion as a weapon to cause disaffection among Nigerians. In 1979, Chief Obafemi Awolowo had Chief Philip Umeadi as his presidential running mate. Umeadi was not just a Christian as Awo, he was also from the same Southern region of the country. Yet the UPN presidential candidate did so well in that election. He only fell short in Kano as determined by the courts. Similarly, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe had a Northern Christian (Prof Ishaya Audu) as his running mate in that election and repeated the same in the 1983 general elections. In 1993, Chief Moshood Abiola picked Babagana Kinigbe, a fellow muslim as his running mate and together they amassed almost 60% of the total votes cast in an election that was eventually and tragically scuttled by Babangida and his cohort.
We now know that religion was the most powerful element in the anti-democratic behaviour of some of Obi’s supporters before, during and after this election. If anyone was in doubt of that before, the leaked audio conversation between him and Pastor David Oyedepo would have put such doubt to rest by now. I must repeat that I blame the political establishment for the excesses of these pastors. In Matthew 15:21, Jesus famously spoke to the separation between political leadership and the church: “Very well, give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God”. So, why has the government not laid down the law against incendiary comments from these religious leaders?
We’ve seen how Obi pandered to the Christian faith in his rabid plan to get to power through the back door. Even after losing, some pastors have continued to fuel an environment of political discontent by claiming that Obi was robbed because INEC and the federal government were against a Christian ruling the country! As ridiculous and ludicrous as this nonsense is, some Christians believe in and subscribe to it. Fortunately, it won’t last. Once Asiwaju is sworn in May 29th, a reset button would be set and the job of uniting our beloved country will commence. Until then, we must all be on our toes in protecting our hard-earned democracy. Only a person who has lost an election would advocate for an interim government. Only an anarchist and a fascist would openly advocate for the delegitimization of an election that boasts of being the fairest in our democratic history. That’s why we must be on our guards in securing and protecting our political environment from losers who would rather destroy than accept their political fate.
Nick Apata is the Chairman APC Canada Chapter and Publicity Secretary, APC Committee of Diaspora Chairmen
