As Nigeria prepares for the next round of its general elections in 2023, the question about the role of the church in politics came to the fore two weeks ago when it became a public knowledge that the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has set up a Directorate of Politics and Governance (DPG).
The creation of this department has stirred a lot of heated and emotional debates as many had assumed that the church was setting up an extensive network for the actualization of the presidential ambition of the current Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.
Though, in a swift response and defense of the RCCG, The Director, National Directorate of Politics and Governance of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Pastor Femi Emmanuel, threw its weight behind the creation of the DPG, saying the move by RCCG was an answered prayer and not support for any political candidate.
Emmanuel stated it in a statement, said that “this appointment of the DPG officials of the RCCG was not in support of any political candidate at all. “We asked for it. I trust other fathers and leaders of the faith would soon follow suit.
“Let no one read any negative or ulterior motives to the memo from RCCG. This is at our request and it is an answered prayer for us in DPG. This is what we have been asking our GOs to do since. Many more will do so as soon as we are in consultation with them.
“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.
“Where would you get candidates (Ward Officers) to vote for you at the primaries and party conventions? Is it angels that will vote for you? he asked.
RCCG’s clarification
Explaining the idea behind the setting up of the Directorate of Politics and Governance of the church, the Assistant General Overseer, Admin and Personnel RCCG, Pastor Johnson Odesola, said that contrary to what is being insinuated, the directorate is not targeted at promoting the political aspiration of any political aspirant, but to coordinate and support members who want to be involved in politics, stressing that the Church remains non-partisan.
Odesola said this in a statement made available to The Nation in response to the insinuation that the recent memo around the Directorate of Politics and Governance in RCCG is targeted at a political aspirant.
He said that internal instruments to the Directorate of Politics and Governance in the RCCG help to coordinate the engagement of members who are willing to be involved in politics as well as mobilise support for them.
Odesola noted that nowhere in the statement it was mentioned or 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 Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to support our members on effective and efficient voter education and the discharge of their related civil rights and obligations.”
DPG, not a RCCG’s creation- Osa Oni
Reacting to the creation of the directorate by the RCCG, the Southwest Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Archbishop Osa Oni said that it is purely a PFN idea that will also involve CAN.
According to him, it was formerly called the Social Security Unit which has metamorphosed into the Directorate of Politics and Governance, saying the task before the PFN is to change the mindset of Christians that politics is not a dirty game.
He said “our people are not informed and people think it (politics) is a dirty game. Governance is about the reality of life and we feel that the only way to mobilise our people is to get a department that would be a rallying point for this intervention. It is an enlightened department and not a political group to make everybody compile and get an education. Many of our people don’t vote. We want to inform them of the implication of our people not voting or not getting involved in any political party. Politics is played from the state.
“It is a formative thing. It is not about Daddy GO. At 80 years old, he knows what Nigerians need and he was not even part of the formation of the DPG. The RCCG only keys into the Directorate. Politics is not a dirty game. Many ungodly people in the Houses of Assembly make ungodly laws that affect our lives.”
He stated that the Christian boy is doing it for life and not for 2023. “It is not about Osinbajo. Parties have not nominated their candidates. It can’t be for a Professor. We are not insensitive and even if he’s nominated, we need to still pray and know the mind of God.
“I was fighting for my land for years before Tinubu came and when he came, my land was released. We cannot be partial; Tinubu’s wife is a pastor in the Redeem. Anybody that emerges, we will talk and see who we will queue behind but we don’t want to be taken for granted anymore.”
He said he had spoken with all the South West Chairmen of the PFN (Ogun, Lagos, Ekiti, Oyo and Ondo). “We are pushing it hard across Nigeria. We are not doing it for one individual.”
How DPG works-Ajose
Speaking with The Nation, the Lagos State Chairman and Zonal Deputy Director (South West) of the Directorate of Politics and Governance (DPG) of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Theophilus Ajose, said that the DPG is just for political education and positioning the body of Christians concerning political matters.
” We need to further educate our people. We believe that up to the local government, our churches are everywhere and they take part in elections and they need to be further enlightened. What we are doing is to have the department across the wards so that we can take care of our people so the numerical strength of the church will help us to also help the nation in imposing righteous people in the political space.
“It is the responsibility of the church to impose righteous people so the people can rejoice.
“We have ward coordinators, local government coordinators, and we have instructed the church to give us a Church Officer of Politics that will be part of our ward structure. That is where we will be able to discuss in any ward or locality and look at the political destiny of the church.”
Ajose pointed out that the Church Officer of Politics from each church will come together with the ward coordinators and form a working committee and they are free to join any political party of their choice. The most important thing is to direct them appropriately on where to vote and how to vote for righteousness and good governance.
Some of the ward chairmen might want to hijack the process for their political gain; Ajose said that everything is about training and education. “We will train them and educate them. We may have one or two influences from outside. The issue is that training and education will help to minims such
“The Church Officer of Politics is like a liaison officer and is because we don’t want to politicize the church parse, that is why a unit is created and the church officer in that church will help that unit (PDG). It will be an interface between the church and politics so that he can brief the church on a continuous basis on what the leaders are doing politically,” he said.
He asserted that the politicians are jittery about this movement because the Christian body has 65 million members in this country, including Lagos, with between 7 to 8 million, which is enough to bring a candidate into power. “Less than a million votes brought Sanwo-Olu to power. If we are united, we PFN can do a lot, our vote will count, and our numbers and votes will be counted.”
Clarifying whether the DPG will sponsor a candidate, Ajose said when the time comes, PFNe will have to make a choice, but right now no party has a candidate. “When the time comes, we can direct our people on where to vote, adding that it is not enough for the party to give us a candidate, we will decide which candidate we are going to vote for.”
The pros and cons of this renewed intervention
Nigeria is not at its best of time and every concern Nigeria irrespective of their tribe or religious leaning will one way or the other will want to get involved in the process of electing its leaders come 2023. The PGD has, according to inside sources within PFN, has over a decade continued to mobilise its congregants on the need to be involved in politics. The church is concerned about those elected in positions of authority and is ready to get involved especially starting at the grassroots level.
The challenge with this DPG is that PFN must not be seen to be supporting a particular candidate. There are cynics who believe that the timing of this Directorate smells an agenda to provide support for a particular Presidential candidate. A veteran journalist, Dele Momodu condemned the setting up of a ‘political department’ by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), saying the church’s involvement in politics is an “invitation to Armageddon. The challenge, for now, is that the PDG must sustain its political education and mobilization beyond 2023. To dissuade some of the cynics and Christians too who are vying for elective positions at all levels, proper coordinator of perspective is key. Why it may not be out of place for the church to support their own, it is important to note that there are other Christians vying for elective positions and require the support of the church in all respects so that they can achieve their ambition. The DPG should have started its political education and mobilization long before now so that Christians’ interest in elective positions at all levels would have been effectively mobilized and supported.
Also, the church in supporting its own should do proper check on the candidates, their antecedents, and pedigrees. It is key so that they don’t get into positions of authority and mess up thereby giving the church a bad name.
Speaking with the Coordinator, PFN, DPG, Ikorodu Central Local Government, Pastor Tosin Onayiga said “If we put people and we don’t know their standing with God, we will unnecessarily expose them. They may not be able to withstand the pressure that comes with politics. It would take a well-grounded Christian to say no, I will not compromise my faith in the face of temptation. It is clear that we must fervently pray that it should not backfire. There are certain believers that are not well prepared for governance, they will mess up the place. But then there are many believers that God has given the grace of leadership. We should support these people not on the basis that they are Christians but that they have the capacity to lead.” That God will sustain as many Christians who are interested in governance. The elders say that anyone who has not fought any war will say he is a man. When our people get into power we will continue to pray for the church.” he said
PFN must be careful, says Lagos CAN
Speaking with our correspondent, the Lagos State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, was of the view that when you are in a situation like this; you need to be very careful. “Governance is proactive and all-inclusive. They are an independent body in CAN and are within their right to set up a department but as a church, we have to be apolitical but that does not mean that we will not have a say in politics. We cannot join any party because we are fathers to all but any member of the church who is interested in politics, we will encourage them and the church will support such. We must pray for all.”
Adegbite stressed that PFN must be careful because the way it is going, people can read meaning to actions and inaction.
On the insinuation that PFN is setting up the machinery for one politician, he said the Christian body must be careful because they may think it would go right and it could go left, “we should be neutral and pray for all. We should encourage Christians to go into politics and use our native intelligence in administering the process at this time. Don’t heat up the politics, it is already heated up.
Church involvement in politics is not about Christians versus Muslims- Ladi Thompson
The Founder of Macedonia Initiative and General Overseer of Living Waters Unlimited, Rev Ladi Thompson has punctured the notion that the involvement of the church in politics is a contest between Christians and Muslims.
Thompson made the clarification at a zoom forum organised by the Network of African Christian Journalists on Thursday, March 17.
He said Christians should be educated that their involvement in politics is not so that they may fight Muslims or that only Christians will be in power. “Our involvement should be about enthroning godly values and principles that will enthrone righteousness in the land.”
He said it was time for the church to speak to the entire political class that it is not going to be business as usual. “We must be able to tell them that enough of the manipulation and lack of empathy. The church should for instance defend and fight for the rights of the almajiris.
“We must be able to make a case for them; that the way these children are loitering about is not acceptable. God cares about them too. We must bear in mind that God so much loved the world, not the church. He died for the whole world. Our involvement should be about the common good.”
The forum which attracted participants from across Nigeria and some other African countries spanned about two hours. Thompson said it is time church leaders realise that being involved in politics is part of the work of the ministry that God called us to do.
“The church is a place for us to be trained to carry out the task of affecting the larger society.”
