Those inviting candidates to campaign in churches causing problems in Nigerian politics - Oguntimehin

• Published date: 22 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

President of Nigeria Coalition of Pastors for Good Leaders, Apostle Babatunde Oguntimehin, speaks with Adeola Ogunlade on the need for Christians to participate in the forthcoming elections and the decision of his group to support the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 election.

As clerics, there are insinuations that you should not get too involved in politics, what do you make of this?

The electioneering process is God's way of choosing his own to rule over his people. It's as if we do not read our Bible

When Judas Iscariot misbehaved and was condemned, the remaining disciples conducted an election that produced another person to fill the position of Judas Iscariot, Matthias won the election. That was the first election conducted in the New Testament.

Before the New Testament, when God sent Jonah to Nineveh, something happened to people in the boat, they didn't know what was happening, and they had to conduct an election to know what was happening. After they conducted the election, the lots fell on Jonah where he was hiding, which led to his being discovered.

The Bible said when the righteous are in power, the people will rejoice. Who are the righteous?

Are we not Christians? Are we not Muslims? Are we not the righteous ones? If someone is godly, I am not talking about being religious because religion is what is killing us in Nigeria today.

I am talking about a godly attitude that I have found in Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Who is godly? Who is a leader? Someone interested in the welfare of others. And BAT is interested in the affairs of everybody in this country. That is a godly person. Look at how many people BAT has raised, and how many families he has impacted. So why are you now comparing such a person with Obi who was a governor in Anambra State for eight years but couldn't mentor anyone?

What informed your decision to throw your weight behind Tinubu?

We held prayers and vigils for all candidates, in the process, God revealed to me that heaven had a hand in his coming to become president and he would stabilise Nigeria.

Let me use the opportunity to speak out on the revelation I recently received. I was told that any further attack on him will attract the wrath of God. This is because any attack on him is an attack on the throne of grace. Heaven has a hand in his candidature as the one to stabilise Nigeria. God is interested in the affairs of Nigeria and God cares less about the denomination or religion of the person. All those...