Mixed reactions have continued to trail the recent creation of the Directorate of Politics and Governance by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).
Stakeholders and analysts believe that while there was nothing wrong with the action as it shows how religiously conscious the church has become, it is also an indication of the religious sentiment that is creeping into Nigerian politics.
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Daily Trust reports that a memo dated February 28, 2022 addressed to all regions, provinces, zones and other levels of the church, said the directorate was created for political education of its members.
The church had also debunked the insinuation that it was to mobilise support for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, a pastor of the church who is strongly believed to be interested in succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 even though he has not declared his intention.
The PFN had also backed the RCCG’s action by asking churches to create a department of politics and governance.
The Director, National Directorate of Politics and Governance of the PFN, Pastor Femi Emmanuel, had also clarified that the new directorate is not about any candidate and commended RCCG for the action.
Another memo by the PFN Lagos had also directed all members in the state to replicate the DPG across the state.
The State Director, DPG, Lagos, Bishop Theophilus Taiwo Ajose said, “Church fathers and leaders are hereby implored to direct and release all their members and followers to register for, or update, their Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) and do a follow-up for the collection of their PVC at the designated local government councils.
“All Christians are advised to urgently join any political party of their choice at the ward (grassroots) levels and participate actively in political activities of that party while always upholding righteousness.”
Speaking with Daily Trust, an Associate Professor of Political Science, Gbade Ojo, said the church has a right to mobilise her members for politics, adding that the church is a stakeholder in a plural society like Nigeria more so when there is an informal power-sharing arrangement of Muslim-Christian or Christian-Muslim candidates.
“It is not because of Osinbajo primarily because Osinbajo has not come out to say he is contesting against Tinubu. In fact, I will be the last person to believe that Osinbajo will ever contest against his benefactor, that is the issue,” he said.
According to Ojo, who is also a clergyman, churches are becoming more politically conscious.
He however said it is unfortunate that religious sentiment has crept into the nation’s body politics.
“That is the problem today in Nigeria and we are toying with serious danger when a president would be seen as a Muslim president or a Christian president; when a governor would be perceived as a Christian governor or a Muslim governor. So religion is gradually being politicised,” he added.
President of Voice of His Words Ministry in Lagos, Apostle (Dr.) Bolaji Akinyemi, noted that it was not only RCCG that has created such a department as it was first established by the PFN because of its concern for the state of the nation.
However, he said the approach is “reactional,” adding, “For me, spiritual things are not meant to be reactional. We are supposed to look at the Bible as our example. We are supposed to wait and rest on the Holy Spirit for direction.”
He said the department should not be a department for politics but a department for governance because “the nature of politics does not suggest an arena where the church can play particularly the partisan nature of politics, the propaganda angle of politics but we know that good governance is basically a duty that you do when you get into office.”
“Now it is better for the church to leave individuals to go and play politics. I have said that the church should be more like the third force platform, we should not be concerned about how the candidates emerge, we should be concerned about who among these candidates is the best and we should have parameters for that,” he added.
A public affairs analyst, Comrade Achike Chude stated that there was nothing wrong with a Christian organisation being involved in politics but he added, “There is every possibility that it has to do with Osinbajo who has actually not indicated his intention of running for the presidency.”
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But then one should be careful with the kind of politics that is played in the country because we have seen over time that religion has been used negatively for politics in the country and that is what we should be worried about; that it is not done in a way that is inimical to the interest of the country,” he said.
The labour leader however noted that there should be greater efforts at political education of Nigerians to vote for candidates not on the basis of their religion but their credibility and competence.
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