By Nnamdi Elekwachi
Pastor Paul Enenche of the Dunamis Church invited Mrs. Edith Okowa, wife of Ifeanyi Okowa, the PDP’s vice presidential candidate; also Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom State and Peter Obi, whose announcement caused an uproar. All the three and some others were later called to the alter for prayers. It was even Governor Udom who prayed and said, “Nigeria is restored… Nigeria shall rise…” to which the congregation chorused an amen. When it was his turn to pray, Obi said “Lord deliver this nation…we have no other nation…”
Now, people said Obi’s presence at the church was all about hypocrisy or whipping up emotion. The questions are: Did Obi invite himself to Dunamis Church? Was he the only political figure at that church? Should he have rejected the invitation? Was he the only person who prayed for Nigeria there? Did Obi expressly canvass worshippers for votes or tell them to make sure a political department was formed to facilitate his emergence, like Tinubu did at a pre-Ramadan meeting?
Before now, the church and Muslim ummah had always been urged to pray for the nation, even for her leaders. Was what happened at Dunamis Church any different? Even though I do not support mixing religion and politics, we must not forget that Nigeria has not separated both; sadly, I say. Question is, can anyone tell me when we evolved to the stage where we did not have to bring an Imam and a Chaplain to pray at the commencement and the end of a national ceremony like October One? Tell me also whether politicians, including those vying for offices other than the president, like governorship and legislative seats (state or federal) do not visit the church and canvass support? Did Obi mention politics at that church?
Let me also remind some of us criticising Obi for attending a church event that in 2016, while at Mecca, President Buhari was invited to the Ka’aba to pray for Nigeria, an unheard-of privilege. He, the president, went with his crew at the invitation of the Saudi king. Should we say Buhari shouldn’t have accepted the honour shown to him by the Saudi king? This is what I am surprised at.
I wish we don’t have to drag this issue, I could still go on and tell those who saw Obi’s church appearance as a political bait about those who went to Mecca (Makkah) to pray, even as aspirants, maybe that too will be enough? Okay, let me remind them that sometime in April this year or thereabouts, a Tawaf (special prayer) was held for the electoral success of Tinubu come 2023 in faraway Saudi Arabia, near the same Ka’aba and one of those who led that prayer association was the current Lagos State House of Assembly speaker. What does that tell us? I can give more examples of Tinubu deploying religious tactics to win votes, like inviting certain Christian priests to a recent outing, even of Abiola who once joined a fund-raising church programme uninvited and made big donation.
Let us not forget that prior to 2019 presidential election, 500 Christian and Muslim clerics were assembled at the Unity Fountain who prayed for Buhari’s reelection. The theme of the day’s ecumenical crusade? “Buhari Must Remain Beyond 2019!” That was the worst religious scourge this nation has suffered since flag independence. Why do Muslim clerics urge faithful to vote a particular candidate and why do religious seers and prophets “foretell” who among candidates in Nigeria would win election? Why is Obi’s case different even when it didn’t have elaborate political colouring than the ones I mentioned?
I hate seeing religion in places of worship, I left the church partly because of this (I have long shared this with few friends here how a certain former PDP governor, now a sitting senator in Abia State, turned church canticles to party slogan and how the church fell for ₦2 million naira he gave). But if we must dissect this issue, let’s not focus only on Obi and leave out Atiku or Tinubu or even Kwankwaso who have all played the religious card. What was Kwankwaso’s convictions that led him to appointing a Christian bishop as a running mate? Was it economic factor? Political? Security? What do you think?
If you say Obi was whipping up sentiment, then I would need a special class and analysis to understand that. Let me also state here that when Tinubu sensed betrayal in APC, even from those whose political ascendancy he helped, he played the ethnic and emotional card, telling the Governor of Ogun State how he made him and stuff like that. Maybe that was not whipping up sentiment? Anyway, I couldn’t talk much about it then because to an extent that could have been strategy.
I think the best is staying on issues.