The Deputy Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Cardinal James Odunmbaku, recently celebrated his 70th birthday. He spoke with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU on his career as a cleric and poltician, his first contact with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his expectations about the Buhari administration.
You are known as a minister of God. Why are you involved in politics?
I will say that I’m a special creation of God. I’m a Nazerene, that is somebody set aside specially by God to do His work. Since I was born no razor has touched my head. I have never cut my hair or shaved it.
I have never been to any seminary, but there is no part of the Bible I can’t quote. I know the Bible inside out, and I prophesy whenever God has a message for me to deliver. Now when you asked how I relate politics with religion, it is very simple. My calling is to preach the gospel. I’m in politics to win souls for Christ, and also to let people realize that all is vanity. My calling is to let politicians know that the reason why they are in power is to serve mankind. My joy is that as people listen to me when I mount the pulpit in the church, they also listen to me when I campaign to them in politics. My mission in politics is to ensure that right leaders are elected to serve the people.
When you were growing, did it ever occur to you that you will achieve fame and become famous as you are today?
My God is very big and that’s why I have to be big myself. I have never settled for anything second in my life – I always aspire for the best. If you see me preaching on the pulpit, you will marvel, and when you also see me on the podium campaigning, you find it difficult to believe that I’m the one and the same person. I don’t know how to explain it, but that is the way God has designed my life since I was born. You can see I am always attaining prominence and excellence in whatever I lay my hands upon.
For this journey of my life, I have been lucky to come across two great Nigerians whom I will like to describe as my mentors. One is late Chief M.K.O. Abiola who christened me Baba Eto, which literarily translates into one who can organize very well or the chief organizer, and the next person is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
I thank God for meeting Tinubu. It was Tinubu who fully tapped my potentialities especially in the area of organizing people for political events. I have always been a crowd puller, but when I met Tinubu, I was able to use this talent fully.
From day one when I knew him in 1993 when he was a senator, Tinubu has been a wonderful man; a seasoned politician, a man of the people, humble and very patriotic. It is some of these attributes that Tinubu possesses that have been making it possible for Lagos State to be under AD, later ACN, and now APC.
How does it feel to be 70?
I feel great. I feel happy and related and also feel fulfilled in Jesus Christ. I’m happy being alive to continue serving Jesus Christ. I have been serving Christ since I was born and I will continue to do so for the remaining period of my life.
Why have you lnot aspired for elective office?
That is not my calling. My calling is to pray fervently that the right person mounts the throne. When Godly people are on the throne, people will rejoice.
From Tinubu, foundation was laid, Fashola built on that foundation, and today Ambode is consolidating on the achievements recorded by Tinubu and Fashola.
Tinubu laid a solid foundation, and no other person has been able to surpass that. We thank God that Fashola and Ambode have also been wonderful. Prophets don’t aspire to be kings – the moment a prophet aspires to be king, his spiritual life becomes bastardised.
In the last gubernatorial election, I told God that if Ambode didn’t win the election, nobody will take my prophesy serious again. Meanwhile I had prophesied to my congregation that Ambode would win.
Again, nobody would respect my prophecy again in the Celestial Church if Ambode lost the election. But I give all glory to God that Ambode won. As a prophet, I don’t take money from people, I bless them. It was on Sunday during one of our services when I went into the inner chambers to pray to the Lord, and later came out to prophesy that Ambode would win. I thank God that my prayers were answered.
I also predicted the electoral victory of Aregbesola in Osun State and Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti State. The time Fashola was contesting, he came to my church, and God revealed to me that he would win the election and that he is the one who would succeed Tinubu as the next governor of Lagos State.
I also gave the same prophecy to Tinubu and it came to pass that he became the governor of Lagos State. That time he was being addressed as Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. How do you define a prophet of God?
A prophet of God is the one who uses God’s name to predict or prophesy. All my prophecies and predictions are directly from God.
Was it true that your prophesy to the late Chief Moshood Abiola that you saw him on the throne, but without a crown, meaning that he would win the election, but that he would not become the president?
Yes, that is very true. I went to meet him in his room in Jos during the SDP primaries in 1993. M.K.O. Abiola had earlier gone to Minna to meet General Babangida, and after their meeting, he came back to Jos delighted, telling us that he has gotten assurance that all would be well from Babangida. But I then went to his room, and when I saw M.K.O. Abiola, I told him that I saw him occupying the seat of the president but that I didn’t see the crown on his head. He became worried, and later asked me what that meant and I told him the prophecy means that he would win the election, but that he would not be sworn in. That he would not become the president. That is the hallmark of a true prophet of God. You must be able to deliver God’s prophecy the way it was revealed to you even if that person that is receiving the message will shoot you. M.K.O. then asked me, what do we do? I told him that if there was a way out God would have revealed it to me.
At that point in time, did you advise him to back out?
I told him it wasn’t revealed to me that he would become the president, but that it was revealed to me that he would win the polls. But I believe at that point in time it was too late to withdraw from the race because the whole nation was ready and at that point in time, M.K.O. Abiola had reached a point of no return.
Then, M.K.O. Abiola used to tell people that he only fears and respects one prophet and that is me Odunmbaku or Baba Eto. He fondly called me Eto, Eto or Eto ni o. Each time I go to him, he wouldn’t want me to talk too much because he would be afraid that one prophecy or the other would come during my stay with him.
Why has your party been winning the governorship elections in Lagos?
We owe allegiance to God but we also support and rever Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu because of the sterling qualities he possesses.
PDP is not serious and that party is a party of questionable characters. The party is made up of manipulators. If they say we are riggers, that means they are master riggers.
PDP members don’t believe in the power of prayers. They are like atheists – they don’t believe in God. They don’t believe in prayers. They believe in power of money – they are like night marauders and that is why we have been praying that God should keep them away from Lagos. PDP can never and will never rule Lagos.
Some people are saying that APC led government is afraid of conducting local government elections because the party lost to PDP in some local government areas during the last general election …?
Cuts in … That’s a false claim. In the first place, APC is a political party and it is true we are controlling Lagos State, but the responsibility of conducting Local Government elections lies with LASIEC, and I make bold to say that anytime they call for election, we will inflict crushing defeat on PDP again. PDP is a serial loser in Lagos.
The fact that we lost some constituencies in the last election doesn’t mean that the PDP will make any in-road in Lagos. The APC-led government has been transforming Lagos State, and this is why Lagosians have been voting for the party. Under the present Governor Ambode, the transformation has continued on a bigger and massive scale. When people are happy with you, they will continue to support you. In actual fact, during the local government elections whenever it comes up, APC will reduce PDP to zero level in Lagos State.
Lagos State has always been blessed with good leaders who know what is good for the people, and that is why through the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR Lagos State has been doing very well.
What is the secret of your youthful look at 70?
The secret is the blood of Jesus. Keep your tempers, never lose it. Be contented in whatever you do. No to stress. I don’t envy people. Whatever God gives me, I’m okay.
What are those things you want to achieve now that you attain 70 years of age?
It is only one thing that I desire. I want to see that in my lifetime, the Soul Winners Prayer Ground becomes Jerusalem of Africa. I want the place to be transformed to Mecca of Africa. I desire no other thing than this.
You are a prophet, and you are supposed to be for all nations, but what happens if a PDP member comes to you for prayers?
Whatever God reveals to me is what I will deliver as my message. But one thing is this, PDP people are born losers. If they are the ones in charge of Lagos State, PDP would have sold Lagos. We thank God for His mercies that these marauders calling themselves PDP members are caricatures of what politicians should be. PDP is a party of scavengers. Nothing good can ever come out of PDP.
